Beasts and men, being Carl Hagenbeck's experiences for half a century among wild animals;

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BEASTS AND MEN

BEING CARL HAGENBECK'S EXPERIENCES

FOR HALF A CENTURY AMONG

WILD ANIMALS

AN ABRIDGED TRANSLATION

BY

HUGH S. R. ELLIOT

AND

A. G. THACKER, A.R.C.S. (Lond.)

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WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY

P. CHALMERS MITCHELL, M.A., D.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S.

SECRETARY OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON

WITH PHOTOGRAVURE PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR
AND NINETY-NINE OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS

NEW IMPRESSION

LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.

39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON
NEW YORK, BOMBAY, AND CALCUTTA

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1912

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BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

First printed

Reprinted

Reissued in Cheaper Form

Reprinted

November, 1909

April, 1910

July, 1911

September, 1912

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INTRODUCTION.

Soon after I became Secretary of the Zoological Society of
London, there called on me a tall, lean man, with a bony
weather-beaten face, shaven lips and a short, grizzled beard
of the kind known as a "chin-fringe". His shrewd and
kindly face, slow speech with nasal intonations and general
air of confident but watchful friendliness made the impression
of an individuality very unlike the composite photograph I
have in my mind of the Germans I know. But for the
presence of a German accent and the absence of the tobacco
habit, Carl Hagenbeck might pass for a New England ship
captain. He is in the first place a business man with a,
strong spirit of adventure that must have led him into many
losses, and as he has none the less built up a great and
successful business, it must be supposed that he also knows
how to make profits. But those who deal with him soon
learn that they may rely implicitly on his directness and
candour in arranging a purchase or sale, and on his scrupulous
carefulness in carrying out his share of the bargain. On one
occasion, for instance, I had to arrange with him for the
purchase of a pair of hippopotamus which neither of us had
seen. The price was to depend partly on the age of the
animals, but as that could not be proved, we agreed on a
standard of size. When the animals arrived, although in
every other respect equally suitable, they were a little
smaller than Hagenbeck had been led to expect by his

vi INTRODUCTION

agents, but without demur he at once agreed to the corre-
sponding reduction in price. Mr. Hagenbeck, however,
takes much more than a business interest in his business, and
I am glad to have the opportunity of acknowledging with all
gratitude his readiness to place the results of his long ex-
perience at the service of the Zoological Society of London.
Aeain and aeain he has oriven me information of great value
on questions relating to the transport and housing of animals
and on their feeding and treatment. It is a pleasure to me
to introduce to English readers a book in which is displayed
so many of the strange experiences and so much of the
remarkable personality of this most interesting man.

Every one has seen something of the business of a dealer
in animals in its primitive form. Near the London Docks,
and on the quays of great shipping ports like Havre and
Marseilles, there are to be found untidy and generally evil
smelling little shops crowded with parrots and monkeys, and
similar casual acquisitions from sailors. The proprietors tend
to become importers in a small way. They find out what
creatures they can sell most readily, and give orders to sailors
or petty officers, sometimes on speculation and sometimes at
the request of customers. With a few notable exceptions,
however, such small dealers never learn their trade. The
birds and mammals they obtain have in many cases been
improperly fed and very badly packed, with the result that
the mortality is great and the stamina of the survivors is at a
low ebb. There can be no doubt but that in many cases the
reputation for delicacy acquired by many exotic birds and
mammals is due merely to the senseless fashion in which they
are brought home. They are captured in some tropical
forest and rushed down to the coast with a minimum supply
of what is supposed to be their natural food. The transition

INTRODUCTION vii

to strange food is made under the worst conditions, on board
ship or in the dealer's shop, or in the unfamiliar surroundings
of a new home, A golden rule in the purchase of animals
with which one is not fully acquainted, is to refuse them
unless they feed readily on a kind of food which the pur-
chaser can supply in future. Such a condition may be ful-
filled most easily when the animals, immediately after they
are caught, are accustomed gradually to a new diet and to
take their food from human beings. In the vast majority of
cases it is change of food and not change of climate that is
the difficulty in what is called acclimatisation. Walruses
are brought to a European city with an appetite for nothing
but whales' blubber, or monkeys who refuse everything ex-
cept fresh sugar-cane, and the usual tragedies result.

Carl Hagenbeck's business is conducted on very differ-
ent lines, and the animals he imports and distributes have
been treated so as to have the best chance of survivingf.
He has been a notable pioneer in the proper handling of
wild animals. He is an able man, and sees that the
crude methods do not pay ; he is a naturalist with a
genuine affection and sympathy for animals, and in all his
handling of them he sees to it that their health and general
condition is the first care. In the many expeditions he has
organised to Africa and Asia for the capture of wild animals,
the highest qualities of a naturalist have been necessary. It
is the fashion to claim that the big game sportsman and col-
lector of trophies must be a naturalist of a high order ; I have
heard defenders of these forms of sport speak as if the poet
Coleridge had written : —

He killeth best who loveth best.
All things botti great and small.

There was perhaps the beginning of a defence for such a

viii INTRODUCTION

point of view before rifles were so perfect and deadly as they
are now and when the hunter had to -wage his own life against
that of his quarry, and could have small hope of success without
the most intimate knowledge of the habits of wild animals.
The modern hunters who must be genuine naturalists are
those who attempt to photograph big game in their native
resorts and those who wish to catch them alive and uninjured.
English readers interested in Zoological Gardens will turn
with avidity to the account Carl Hagenbeck gives of the
Zoological Park at Stellingen. The fundamental conception
which for longf dominated the minds of those who had to do
with the exhibition of living animals was a compromise be-
tween the idea of a travelling menagerie and the idea of a
museum. The specimens were rano^ed in narrow and small
cages so that they might be easily seen and compared. Iron
bars and wire-work were everywhere in evidence, and so far
as possible all draught and fresh air were excluded, and
elaborate heating-systems were provided. In Hagenbeck's
Park, which is the result of his long experience, these old ideas
are discarded. The animals are given shelters to which they
can retreat, and in these some amount of artificial heat is
supplied in severe weather, but in every case room for exer-
cise, abundant fresh air, and free exposure to rain and sun are
provided for. I do not think that there is any doubt as to
these being the right lines, and all the more progressive
Zoological Gardens have been trying to act on them. No
doubt the ideal condition is the right temperature as well as
relative freedom and exposure to fresh air, but if the choice
has to be made, and it must be made in the cities of Europe
and North America, then fresh air is enormously more im-
portant than temperature, and animals that we are accustomed
to think of as tropical thrive well and freely disport them-

INTRODUCTION ix

selves in snow and rain. I am not so certain that I aeree
with some of the other characteristic features of the Park at
Stellingen, but they are at the least extremely interesting.
The grouping of incongruous animals in "happy families " is
perhaps more the work of the showman than of the naturalist.
It is always subject to very serious risks, and success can
be obtained only in the case of young animals specially
trained to disregard their natural instincts. It is a curious
and interesting spectacle, but not one that I should like to see
repeated in ordinary menageries and Zoological Gardens.

On the other hand, the devices by which bars and railings
are replaced by ditches and undercut ledges of rockwork are
extremely attractive, and to my mind pleasing, although I do
not much care for the more exuberant forms of such artificial
scenery with painted backgrounds. Where the necessary
space can be obtained, it is delightful to see animals across
ditches instead of through bars. But there is another side to
the question. If visitors are to be protected, the arrange-
ments must be such that the animals are seen from a con-
siderably greater distance, and it is doubtful, especially in the
case of the larger Carnivora, if the arrangement is practicable
except with trained animals. Diversifying the ground with
artificial rockwork on which the animals may climb certainly
adds very much to the beauty of the display, and the ad-
ditional exercise given to the animals must be a great advan-
tage. But here again there is another side to the question.
Rockwork, natural or artificial, is extremely difficult to keep
in the state of sanitary cleanliness which is essential in a
menagerie, and it provides a cover most attractive to rats and
from which it is almost impossible to dislodge them. The
abundant supplies of food always attract rats to Zoological
Gardens, of which they are the most troublesome pest, and

X INTRODUCTION

the only way of keeping them down is to afford them the least
opportunity of finding cover. The various difficulties and
objections that I suggest, however, although they may pre-
vent other gardens from following the example set by Carl
Hagenbeck, do not detract from the extreme interest of his
description of Stellingen.

For many years Hagenbeck has been the greatest
trainer of animals, and his own troupes or those which he
has supplied have appeared in every part of the world.
Lovers of animals will follow with a close attention his
method of selecting and training them. For my own part,
and I know of many who share my views, I seldom lose an
opportunity of seeing exhibitions of performing animals, and
equally seldom do I enjoy the performance for long except
perhaps in the case of sea-lions, who appear to me to enjoy
what they are doing. In all other cases I gradually become
convinced that abject terror of the trainer lies behind the
tricks, a conviction that is not disturbed by the rewards of
food that are given. This, however, is not Mr. Hagen-
beck's opinion, and his love of animals, ability and experience
entitle him to the fullest consideration. He begins with the
proposition, long ago set out by Darwin, that the first busi-
ness of the trainer is to select his animals. Individuals have
very different dispositions, and it is only one or two out of
many that have the power of attention, ability and docility
required by the trainer. Thereafter the method is little more
than constant patience, firmness and kindness on the part of
the trainer. I accept readily Mr. Hagenbeck's statements
as to his personal control over wild animals, and I have
myself seen many instances of their friendly recognition of
their old master. But with regard to public performances,
when the animals have to go through their tricks at stated

INTRODUCTION xi

times, I continue to doubt ; in all those that I have seen the
trainer displays some kind of whip, and the animals seem to
have a very full appreciation that it is more than a symbol of
authority.

Although I can take no credit, and have no responsibility
for the form in which this edition is presented to English
readers, I have had some opportunity of comparing it with the
German text, and believe it to be a very accurate rendering
of the substance of a remarkable book.

P. CHALMERS MITCHELL.

CHAPTER I.

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE.

The great zoological park at Stellingen, and the huge trade
in living animals of which that park is the headquarters, had
a very humble and almost accidental origin. My father was
a fishmono-er tradino- in St. Pauli. a suburb of Hamburp', and
one day in March, 1848, it happened that some of the fisher-
men, whom my father employed, and who were under con-
tract to deliver over to him their entire haul, captured in
their nets no fewer than six seals. My father was very fond
of animals and greatly interested in natural history, and
thus it occurred to him that the curiosity with which he him-
self examined the animals might, perhaps, be shared by his
fellow-citizens of Hamburg, and that the interest which the
seals would probably arouse could be made profitable to
their owner. He therefore exhibited the creatures in two
huge wooden tubs at our house in Spielbudenplatz, St.
Pauli, charorincr an entrance fee of one Hamburg shillino-
(= about a penny) per head. A considerable number of
people came to inspect the beasts, and my father was so
delighted at the success of his idea that he decided to follow
up this new line of business and take the seals to Berlin. To
those who know the twentieth-century Berlin the idea of
taking a few common seals to be exhibited in that city will
no doubt appear extremely ludicrous ; but the Berliners of
those days were very much less sophisticated than their
modern representatives, and flocked with great interest to see
my father's show. Owing to the revolutionary movement
which was at that time daily growing in force, my father did

2 BEASTS AND MEN

not remain for long in the Prussian capital, but sold his seals
and returned home to Hamburg. Unfortunately the
animals were not sold for hard cash, but were handed over
on the strength of a promise of future payment — a promise
which completely slipped the memory of the purchaser — but
in spite of this there was, owing to the great success of the
exhibitions both in Hamburg and in Berlin, a considerable
profit on the whole transaction, and my father was far from
dissatisfied with his new venture.

From the time of this seal incident onwards my father
commenced to carry on a trade in living animals, in addi-
tion to his work as a purveyor of food-fish. Indeed, although
he had never before thought of making any money out of
it, he already possessed a small menagerie, including goats,
a cow, a monkey, a talking parrot, fowls, geese, etc., to
which some more common seals, a polar bear, hysenas, and
other mammals and birds were presently added. The little
menagerie was set up in Spielbudenplatz, and visitors
were charged an entrance fee of four Hamburg shillings.
My father did not again travel about exhibiting his seals, but
sold them to the owners of itinerant circuses and menageries,
by whom they used to be shown to a credulous and unscien-
tific public as walruses, or even as mermaids !

Thus from my earliest childhood I was accustomed to
dealing with living animals. I was born on the loth of June,
1844, and had two brothers and three sisters. My mother
died in 1865, and, my father marrying a second time, I sub-
sequently had two half-brothers, John Hagenbeck of Col-
ombo, Ceylon, and Gustav Hagenbeck, who still resides in
Hamburg. My early education was somewhat meagre, for I
only went to school when I could spare the time from my work
with the fish and live beasts, and this did not amount to more
than three months in the year. It was not that my father
failed to appreciate the benefits of a good education ; on the
contrary, he deemed a great part of the customary instruction
thoroughly necessary. But he was an eminently practical

XI

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MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE 5

man, and whilst he impressed upon us the urgency of learn-
ing well the "Three R's," he used to tell us that we "were
not expected to become parsons ". Later on, too, when our
business began to extend to France and England, he saw
that it would be desirable for me to acquire the languages of
those countries. Thus, although my elementary education
may have left something to be desired, from my twelfth
year onwards I attended school with greater regularity, and
in my later boyhood gained a considerable knowledge of lan-
guages and other more advanced subjects.

As the business gradually developed, it became necessary
to undertake journeys for the purpose of buying and selling
our living wares, and I soon discovered that the transport
of wild beasts is apt to be rich in incident. I well remember
my first expedition of the kind. One day when I was eleven
years old we heard that there was a small collection of animals
to be sold at Bremerhaven. At that time a journey to Bre-
merhaven was quite an undertaking, for there was then no
direct railway connection between that town and Hamburo-,
and it was therefore necessary either to go a long journey
round by Hanover, or else to drive across country to Bre-
men, a distance of about fifty miles. Notwithstanding this
difficulty, however, my father, being anxious to acquire the
animals, decided to go to Bremerhaven, and he took me with
him. We found that the little menagerie consisted of a laroe
racoon, two American opossums, and a varied assortment of
monkeys and parrots. My father purchased the lot, and
after they had been brought up to Bremen by steamer
they were duly ensconced upon the roof of the diligence
which was to convey us back to Hamburo-.

We drove all through the night, our route lying across the
Luneburger Heath, a wild stretch of country in the north of
Hanover, and daybreak found us in Harburg, a place not
far from Hamburg. Naturally, our first thought was to
inspect our property and see that all was safe. Great was
our dismay when we found the racoon's cage broken open

6 BEASTS AND MEN

and its erstwhile occupant completely vanished ! During the
night the racoon must have made his way out through the
bars, and have jumped off the top of the coach.

We dared not give the alarm, for, unless the fugitive had
been speedily recaptured, we should have had the authorities
down on us for letting loose wild beasts in the heart of
Germany. So we all kept our own counsel, and nobody
knew of the occurrence save my father, the driver of the
diligence, and myself Two years later, however, it was
noised abroad that a racoon had been killed on Liineburger
Heath, and there was great excitement in the newspapers
and much speculation as to how that carnivore came to be
living wild in Germany. We might have been able to
suggest a not improbable solution of the mystery, but we
judged it more discreet to hold our tongues.

In our early days we had many similar mishaps, most of
them taking place at home, however. On one occasion we
were aroused in the middle of the night by a terrified night-
watchman, who informed us that an enormous seal was
perambulating the streets of Hamburg. We rushed out
with nets, and just succeeded in securing the creature as it
was about to return to its native element. On another
occasion a hysena escaped from its cage, and was only
recaptured after a long, and decidedly dangerous, nocturnal
hunt.

Such episodes as these, however, only formed occasional
diversions. My chief recollection of the first ten years of the
business is that it was a ceaseless round of very hard, and
not over-profitable, work. We had to buy our experience
dearly, and almost every mistake that we made in the treat-
ment of the beasts, or in the methods of transporting them,
would cost us the lives of some of the creatures. Indeed, for
part of the time, my father ran the business at a loss, and
if his success as a fishmonger had not enabled him to pass
through this black period, it is highly probable that he would
have given up the animal trade altogether. This, however,

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE 7

together with his fondness of the animals for their own sake,
induced him to persevere ; and as by our repeated failures we
gradually came to understand better the requirements of our
pets, the death rate in the menagerie steadily diminished, and
the profits on the business rose accordingly.

It was not until nine years after the foundation of the
business, in 1857 that is, that my father purchased his
first large collection of animals. This consisted of five
lions, a number of panthers and cheetahs, several hyaenas
and various antelopes, gazelles and monkeys, all of which
the African explorer, Dr. Natterer, had brought back to
Vienna from the Egyptian Sudan, a region which was at that
time extraordinarily rich in animal life. In the following
year my father one day asked me seriously, whether I would
choose as my future calling to be a fishmonger or an animal
dealer, and, after placing all the pros and cons before me, he
finally advised me to take up fishmongering as being the
less speculative trade. I am sure, however, that he did this
with a heavy heart, for we all loved our menagerie; and
when I decided in favour of the animal business he showed
no displeasure, but immediately gave his consent to this
course of action. It was arranged, therefore, that I should
take over responsibility for the business, and that my father's
liability in the event of any future loss should not exceed
^100. I left school in March, 1859— before I turned
fifteen — and from that day to this I have devoted all my
energies to the care and development of the business which
my father founded. The latter, however, remained until his
death my most trusted adviser, and if in my life's work I
have attained to some measure of success, it is to him that
much of the credit is due. From our earliest years he taught
us to love animals and helped us to understand their needs
and their instincts. This has assuredly been the corner-
stone of all our success, for without a genuine love for
animals a business such as ours must have inevitably
failed.

BEASTS AND AlEN

During the latter half of the nineteenth century Africa
was being- vigorously explored, and large consignments of
animals- — especially elephants, giraffes and rhinoceroses —
began to arrive in Europe from that continent. In the
early sixties we began to deal on a larger scale, and I
frequently had to undertake journeys for business purposes,
my first visit to England being in 1864. The trade became
m :)re flourishing, necessitating an extension of our premises
in Spielbudenplatz, and in this same year of 1864 an important
development occurred. Late one evening we received a
teleeram from a friend in Vienna, sayino- that the African
traveller, Lorenzo Cassanova, had arrived in the Austrian
capital en 7^oute for Dresden, whither he was taking a number
of animals which he had collected in Nubia. About a year
and a half earlier Cassanova had brought home an enormous
consignment of wild beasts from the Egyptian Sudan, includ-
ing the first African elephant which had ever been seen in
Europe, several giraffes, and numerous smaller creatures.

On that occasion we could not afford
to buy his collection, and the animals
were eventually acquired by the
famous old menagerie owner, Gottlieb
Kreutzberg ; but this time the collec-
tion was much smaller, and on the
morning after the receipt of the tele-
oram I set out for Dresden. I found
Cassanova in the Zoological Gardens,
where he had housed his animals, and
before long the whole collection had

Gottlieb Kreutzberg. ^^^^ j^^^^ ^^ pOSSeSsion. This, how-

ever, was not the only or the most important result of my
meeting with the Italian ; for after some discussion we con-
cluded an agreement to the effect that all the animals which
Cassanova succeeded in bringing to Europe from his future
expeditions should be sold to us at definite prices named in

the contract.

Cassanova was thus the first of that long list

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Phineas T. Barnum.

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MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE ii

of travellers who have explored the wilder portions of every
continent in the interests of my firm.

The first lot of animals which Cassanova brought us from
Nubia arrived in the July of the following year, and consisted
of two elephants, several young lions, and a number of hyaenas,
panthers, antelopes, gazelles and ostriches. It will be seen
from this that during the decade which had elapsed since the
purchase of the little menagerie at Bremerhaven — quite an
important event to us in its time — the scope of our business
had considerably enlarged. The demand for wild beasts was
continually growing. Zoological Gardens were springing up
on all sides, and public interest in exotic animals was stimu-
lated by the circuses and travelling menageries, which were
now becoming numerous both in Europe and in America,
Although we now began to send out travellers to all parts of
the world — adventurous men who frequently explored regions
where no European had ever been before — it was sometimes
impossible for me to satisfy all the demands which I received.
For instance, one of my chief customers was Phineas T.
Barnum, the famous American circus owner, Barnum paid
us his first visit in November, 1872, and on that occasion
purchased animals from us to the value of about ^3,000.
He was touring Europe, he told me, in search of new ideas,
and as I was able to supply him with some such (among
other things I told him about the racing elephants of
India, and of the use of ostriches as saddle animals) he paid
me the compliment of inviting me to join him in his enterprise,
with a one-third share of the profits. I preferred, however,
to remain in Hamburg and develop my own business. After
this, Barnum obtained his animals exclusively from me, and
his successor, Mr, Bailey, continued this arrangement until
1907, when he disposed of his business.

The largest consignment of African animals which I ever
received arrived in 1870. On Whit-Monday of that year I
heard from Cassanova and from another of my travellers, by
name Migoletti, that they were both making their way out of
the interior of Nubia with huge caravans of captured animals,

12 BEASTS AND MEN

and expected to arrive together at Suez. Cassanova stated
that he was dangerously ill, and that it was therefore imperative
that I should come to Suez, in order to take char^re of the
animals on the journey to Europe. Under the circumstances
this appeared to be unavoidable ; and so, the next day, ac-
companied by my youngest brother, I departed for Egypt.
We travelled via Trieste, and arrived at our destination after
an uneventful journey lasting eight days. On entering the
station at Suez we were greeted by some of our prospective
pets, for in another train opposite we saw several elephants
and giraffes, who pushed out their heads to welcome us.
This, however, scarcely prepared us for what met our gaze
when we reached the Suez Hotel. I shall never forget the
sight which the courtyard presented. Elephants, giraffes,
antelopes and buffalo were tethered to the palms ; sixteen
great ostriches were strolling about loose ; and in addition
there were no fewer than sixtv lar^e eagres containino- a
rhinoceros, lions, panthers, cheetahs, hyaenas, jackals, civets,
caracals, monkeys, and many kinds of birds.

It was naturally no easy matter to transport this immense
collection of wild beasts to Europe. The amount of food
required was enormous. Besides the hay, bread, and sundry
other vegetable foods which were needed for the elephants
and other herbivores, we also took along with us about a
hundred nanny-goats in order to provide the young giraffes
and other baby animals with milk. When these goats were
no longer able to supply us with milk they were slaughtered
and given to the young carnivores to devour.

The journey to Alexandria, where we were to embark
for Trieste, was by no means uneventful. On the way to
the station the ostriches escaped, and were only recovered
after considerable delay. Then one of the railway trucks
caught fire, endangering the entire menagerie ; and finally
we were furnished for the last part of the journey with a
drunken engine-driver who nearly burst his boiler. More-
over, the poor creatures were so closely packed together that

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE

13

it was impossible to feed them. We travelled all through
the night, and arrived in Alexandria at 6 a.m. Here
we joined forces with Migoletti's caravan. The whole of
the next day was occupied in feeding and in general attend-
ance upon my unfortunate beasts, which had suffered con-
siderably from their long train journey. Thus it was not
until the evening that I was able to visit Cassanova, who

Embarking an elephant.

had preceded me to Alexandria. Much to my regret I
found him sinking rapidly, and during the following night the
poor man died. There was no time to mourn, however, for
on the next day the steamer was to be loaded with the living
cargo. It will be readily believed that I suffered no little
anxiety when I saw my valuable animals, cumbrous elephants
and long-legged giraffes, hanging from the crane betwixt sky
and sea. However, at last they were all safely deposited on
deck, and the passage to Trieste was accomplished without

14 BEASTS AND MEN

serious mishap. Our arrival at that port caused great
excitement among the townsfolk. And small wonder ! No
such collection of wild beasts had ever before been seen in
Europe. The united caravans of Cassanova and Migoletti
included, apart from the smaller creatures, five elephants,
fourteen giraffes, four Nubian buffaloes, a rhinoceros, twelve
antelopes and gazelles, two wart-hogs, four aard-varks, and no
fewer than sixty carnivores. Among the latter there were
seven young lions, eight panthers and cheetahs, thirty
hysenas, and many smaller representatives of the cat tribe.
There were also twenty-six ostriches, of which sixteen were
full-grown birds. One of these, a female, was the largest
specimen I have ever seen. This hen could easily reach a
cabbage which I placed eleven feet from the ground.

Pretty nearly the whole population of Trieste must have
turned out to watch us unload. And w^henever an elephant or
a giraffe came sprawling across in the crane a roar of delight
would go up from the multitude on shore. It was truly
marvellous that we ever reached the railway station without
an accident, for the crowd in the streets was enormous, and
we had the greatest possible difficulty in making our way
throuo^h. We travelled to Hamburg' via Vienna, Dresden
and Berlin, and as some of our possessions found new homes
in the Zoological Gardens in each of those cities, our numbers
were greatly reduced by the time we finally arrived at our
destination. This, as I have said, was the largest collection
of the African fauna that I have ever received. It had been
preceded, however, by several other successful expeditions
(under the command of Cassanova and others) to the same
region, and in a later chapter I shall describe the methods
adopted for capturing the animals, and the difficulties which
the expeditions had to overcome during the arduous marches
out of the interior of Nubia.

At this time I was doino- a roarino- trade in African wild
beasts, and splendid prices were paid for my wares, especially
for elephants. I recollect one occasion when I sold three
young elephants to an American animal dealer for the sum

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE

15

of ^1,000. The reader may think that I had made a good
bargain in this, and at the time I was under a like impres-
sion. But it seems I was wrong. For my American friend
took the animals across to his own country and sold them for
^1,700, ^1,600 and ^1,500 respectively.

I was married in March, 1871, and am blessed with five
children and thirteen grandchildren, my two sons now being
partners with me in the business. With the growth of the
trade during the sixties and early seventies it became im-
perative to find a larger site for my menagerie ; in spite of
extensions, we had completely outgrown our old quarters in
Spielbudenplatz. After a long search I found a suitable

Reindeer.

spot at Neuer Pferdemarkt, in Hamburg. This consisted of
a dwelling-house, having a large garden behind — nearly two
acres in extent — in which it would be possible to erect the
necessary buildings, stables, etc. I therefore bought the place,
and in April, 1874, we took up our abode in our new home.

The transference of the menagerie to Neuer Pferdemarkt
brings us to the end of the first period in the history of the
business. Hitherto we had been merely animal dealers ;
henceforth we were to initiate and develop other, though
related, branches of trade. About the middle of the seven-
ties the supply of wild beasts began to exceed the demand,

1 6 BEASTS AND MEN

and the profits on my business somewhat decreased. Some
remedy for this state of affairs had to be found, and the said
remedy eventually came through the chance suggestion of a
friend. In 1874 I happened to be importing some reindeer,
and my friend, Heinrich Leutemann, the animal painter,
remarked that it would be most picturesque if I could import
a family of Lapps along with them. This seemed to me a
brilliant idea, and I therefore at once gave orders that my
reindeer were to be accompanied by their native masters.

The Lapps, conducted by a Norwegian, arrived at Ham-
burg in the middle of September, and Leutemann and myself
went on board to welcome the little expedition. The first
glance sufficed to convince me that the experiment would
prove a success. Here was a truly interesting sight. On
deck three little men dressed in skins were walking about
among the deer, and down below we found to our great
delight a mother with a tiny infant in her arms and a dainty
little maiden about four years old, standing shyly by her
side. Our guests, it is true, would not have shone in a
beauty show, but they were so wholly unsophisticated and
so totally unspoiled by civilisation that they seemed like
beings from another world. I felt sure that the little
strangers would arouse great interest in Germany.

The reindeer and the Lapps were safely disembarked,
but on the way up to Neuer Pferdemarkt a rather fortunate
accident occurred. The deer were, of course, unaccustomed
to crowds, and two of them took fright and galloped away
through the town, finally taking refuge — not inappropriately
— in the Zoological Gardens. My Lappic exhibition could
scarcely have had a better advertisement than was afforded
by this escapade.

My optimistic expectations were fully realised ; this first
of my ethnographic exhibitions was from every point of view
a huge success. I attribute this mainly to the simplicity
with which the whole thinof was org^anised, and to the com-
plete absence of all vulgar accessories. There was nothing
in the way of a performance. The Laplanders themselves

0)
•73

•?/

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE 19

had no conception of the commercial side of the venture, and
knew nothing of exhibitions. They were merely paying a
short visit to the hustling- civilisation which they saw around
them, and it never occurred to them to alter their own primi-
tive habits of life. The result was that they behaved just as
though they were in their native land, and the interest and
value of the exhibition were therefore greatly enhanced.
They took up their abode in the grounds behind my house
at Neuer Pferdemarkt, and lived entirely out of doors. All
Hamburg came to see this genuine " Lapland in miniature ".
The Lapps, as is well known, inhabit the north of Nor-
way, Sweden and Russia, and, in accordance with their
occupations, are divided into the Fishing-, Forest-, and Up-
land-Lapps. The latter are the least civilised of the three
divisions, and it was to them that my little party belonged.
They consist of tribes of primitive nomads, almost wholly
dependent upon the reindeer for their subsistence. As I
have already mentioned, they could not be described as
beautiful. Their skin was a dirty yellow colour, their heads
very round, their hair black, nose small and flat, and their
eyes set somewhat obliquely. On the other hand their
limbs were very finely moulded, and only Eskimos have
smaller hands and feet than the Lapps. They reached a
height of from four and a quarter to five and a quarter feet. It
was most interesting to see the little people at work. They
would set up and strike their tents as in their own country.
No great labour is involved in this performance ; their tents
consist of poles covered over in summer with canvas and in
winter with tanned hides, a hole being left at the top for the
smoke to pass through. The Fishing- and the Forest-
Lapps have become to a great extent Europeanised, for in-
stance, in the matter of dress. But not so our little friends.
They supply all their own needs, and by means of sinews
they sew together the tanned hides of deer in a most dexter-
ous manner. They make all their own snowshoes, sledges,

etc. Men and women were dressed much alike, both sexes

2*

20 BEASTS AND MEN

wearing long skin coats, pointed fur caps and leather shoes.
It was most interesting- to watch them catchingr the deer with
lassoes, and to see the wonderful skill with which they drove
their sledges. The reindeer is verily their all in all, and takes
the place of cattle, sheep, horse and dogs. The milking of the
deer was one of the chief attractions in this Lappic exhibition.
Our visitors were unspoiled children of Nature, and they no
doubt wondered what we could see in their simple household
goods, and in themselves, to arouse so much curiosity.

My experience with the Laplanders taught me that
ethnographic exhibitions would prove lucrative ; and no
sooner had my little friends departed than I followed up
their visit by that of other wild men. Our next guests came
from the Sudan — as was only natural, having regard to the
extensive intercourse I then had with that region. The
attractions of this Nubian caravan were greatly increased by
the number of domestic animals which the people brought
with them, their great black dromedaries, for instance, arous-
ing much interest among the visitors to my Gardens.

Being desirous of carrying on my new anthropological
enterprise all the year round — in winter, as well as in summer
— I bethought me of the Eskimos, those dwellers in the
Arctic of whom we had all heard so much in connection
with polar expeditions, but who had never yet been seen in
the heart of Europe. It might be possible, I thought, to
bring a small party of these people to Hamburg, where they
would indubitably cause a great sensation. In the spring of
1877, therefore, I engaged a young Norwegian, by name
Adrian Jacobsen, and despatched him to Greenland for the
purpose of inducing a few Eskimos to accompany him back
to Europe. The Danish Government were most obliging,
and not only at once gave their permission, but also conveyed
Jacobsen to their Arctic colony in a State steamer. They
voyaged up the west coast of Greenland for a considerable
distance to a bay known as Jacobshavn, in lat. 69°. Here
my traveller succeeded in persuading half a dozen natives to

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE

21

pay a visit to the land of white men. The party was com-
posed of a family of four persons, and two young bachelors.
The paterfamilias, a gentleman of about thirty, rejoicing in
the name of Ukubak, not
only brought with him his
obedient spouse and his
two little daughters, but
also the totality of his
worldly goods. These
consisted of dogs, sledges,
tents, weapons, household
implements, two canoes,
and so forth. The Green-
land Eskimos, who have
been well described by
Nansen, are more ad-
vanced in civilisation than
their kindred of the Far
North, these latter beinor
in an extremely primitive
stage of evolution, being
unacquainted even with
the " Kayaks," or canoes,

which play such a promi- Ukubak and his family.

nent part in the life of the South Greenland natives. The
Greenlanders are, of course, under the protection of the Danish
Government, and they have adopted the Christian religion.
Nevertheless, their mode of life is not really very different
from that of their ancestors when Greenland was first recolon-
ised by the Scandinavians in the eighteenth century. They
have not been greatly altered through contact with Europeans.
They are still expert and, enthusiastic hunters, pursuing with
great zest the numerous species of seals which inhabit the
Arctic regions. For this purpose they make use of curious
and highly characteristic boats, which they term "Kayaks".
The kayak is a canoe constructed of skins, and is completely

BEASTS AND MEN

decked over except for a small hole amidships. The canoe-
man, who propels his little vessel with a double-bladed
paddle, sits himself in this hole, which he exactly fits and
completely fills up, his legs being- hidden beneath the foreward
decking. In this position the Eskimos are able to execute
a most remarkable manceuvre. If the canoe be upset, the
man is, of course, still firmly fixed in his hole, and is then
hanging head downwards from the upturned boat. But so
skilful are they that, when this accident occurs and they find
themselves immersed, they are able by means of the paddle to
right the canoe and in this way save themselves from drown-
ing. As may be well imagined, the ability to perform this feat

is an absolute necessity to
the Greenlanders in their
native haunts, for in rough
weather the small kayaks
are naturally very liable
to capsize, and any one
who is less adept than his
fellows will pay the penalty
with his life. Ukubak
was a wonderfully expert
canoeman, and used fre-
quently to upset and then
right his kayak for the
edification of the visitors
to my Gardens. He re-
garded it as a joke, and
never grew tired of re-
peating the performance.
The proceeding did not
even cause him any dis-
comfort, for, like all his
Ukubak's wife. ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ dressed in

waterproof clothing which, as I have said, completely filled

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE 25

the hole and thereby prevented the water from leaking into
the boat.

Ukubak was a man of moderate stature and prepossessing"
countenance. His better-half, too, was far from ugly, even
from the European's standpoint. She was above the middle
height, her figure was slim and elegant, and she dressed her
hair most tastefully in a tower on the crown of her head. The
Greenlanders made themselves at home on the spot where
the Lapps had sojourned three years earlier, and built them-
selves a hut after the true Eskimo fashion, namely, half under-
ground. I should perhaps mention incidentally that the Lapps
are not, as might be supposed, close relatives of the Eskimos.

After the little party had been exhibited in Hamburg
I took them to Paris, Berlin and Dresden. In Berlin the
Emperor William I. came to see them and was greatly
interested in Ukubak's aquatic tricks. On that occasion
Ukubak remained so long under the water that the Emperor
became quite alarmed for his safety, until I told His Majesty
the facility with which the Eskimo could always recover him-
self when he so desired. In April of the following year, 1878,
the Eskimos returned to their native land, greatly enriched
by their travels.

From this time onwards I organised frequent ethnographic
exhibitions, and I now have some show of this kind every
year in my Zoological Park at Stellingen. Lapps, Nubians,
and Eskimos have been followed by Somalis, Indians,
Kalmucks, Cingalese, Patagonians, Hottentots and so forth.
Towards the end of the seventies, especially in 1879, the
animal trade itself was in an exceedingly bad way, so that the
anthropological side of my business became more and more
important. The outbreak of the war with the Mahdi, which
occurred at about this time, closed what had hitherto been our
chief source of supply, viz., the Sudan ; for it was now death
to any European who was intrepid enough to enter that
country. Even when the war was over, and the co-operating
British and Egyptian Governments reopened the country, the

26

BEASTS AND MEN

Sudan was found to have lost its glory, for the destruction of

animal life in the interval had
been terrible. But more of
this anon. The end of the
year 1880 brought me some
relief from my financial
anxiety. My faithful friend
Barnum sent me huge orders
for elephants. Barnum and
another American named
Forepaugh were at this time
strenuous competitors in the
circus world, and the Ameri-
can public seem to have had
an especial predilection for
elephants. At all events,
elephants were the chief at-
traction, and the fact was
The only difficulty was to find
I therefore sent one of my most
famous travellers, Joseph Menges,
to Ceylon in order to ascertain
the prices of elephants in that
island, and to find out whether
large numbers of the creatures
could be obtained there. Menges'
reports were most satisfactory, and
before long both he and certain
other of my travellers were hard
at work exporting a continuous
stream of elephants from Ceylon.
I was perpetually receiving fresh
orders not only from Barnum but

Joseph Menges. i r -n- l. c .U

also irom r'orepaugh, tor the
rivals were continually endeavouring to overtrump each other

A king and his two wives.

very fortunate for me.
enough of the quadrupeds.

2

-5

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE 29

in this matter, and in the year 1883 I exported from Ceylon
no fewer than sixty-seven elephants.

In this place I ought to say a few words about Joseph
Menges. He assuredly deserves a short biog'raphical notice
in this history of my business, for of all the fellow-workers
with whom it has been my fate to labour, none has been
more able and efficient. When this traveller joined my
firm in 1876 he had already had considerable experience
as an explorer. In the early seventies he had gone up the
White Nile with Gordon, and few, if any, Europeans knew
the Sudan better than he. He had become intimately ac-
quainted with the peoples, the geography, the fauna and the
flora of Nubia. He was, moreover, thoroughly accustomed
to the climate. In those regions Europeans almost invariably
suffer severely from fever, but Menges seems to have been
immune — at all events, by the time he began to travel in
my interests. On one occasion he brought to Europe for one
of my ethnographic, exhibitions some representatives of the
famous Nubian tribe, the Hamran hunters, of whose man-
ners and customs I shall have much to relate in Chapter III.
Then he paid a visit to Somaliland, where he explored a
district where no white man had hitherto been, and dis-
covered a new race of wild ass. He succeeded in trans-
porting to Europe a living specimen of this quadruped.
Menges continued to lead hunting expeditions on my behalf
until quite recently, and at the moment of writing there are
still animals in my menagerie which have come into my pos-
session through the energy of this trusty friend.

One of the largest of all my ethnographic exhibitions was
the great Cingalese exhibition of 1884. This great caravan,
which consisted of sixty-seven persons with twenty-five
elephants and a multitude of cattle of various breeds, caused
a great sensation in Europe. I travelled about with this
show all over Germany and Austria, and made a very good
thing out of it.

When this Cinoalese exhibition had come to an end

30

BEASTS AND MEN

I thought the public might, perhaps, have had enough of
ethnology for the time being, and I therefore set to work to
devise some new form of entertainment. The result of
my meditations was a revolution in the methods of training
wild beasts for the circus. For many years, indeed ever

since I could remem-
ber, I had been greatly
distressed at the cruel
methods of teachinor ani-
mals to perform, which
were then in vogue. My
enthusiasm for my own
calling originated more,
if I may say so, in a love
for all livingf creatures
than in any mere com-
mercial instincts. I had
no doubt inherited this
passion from my father,
and under the circum-
stances in which I found
myself there was, of
Patagonian. course, every opportun-

ity of cultivating the taste. I do not intend to imply that I have
not also had an eye to the main chance ; but I can, I think,
say with perfect truth that I am, and always have been, a
naturalist first and a trader afterwards. This being the case,
it was only natural that I, in common I am sure with all
other lovers of animals, should be greatly distressed at the
wicked ill-treatment to which "tamed" beasts were in those
days subjected. In a later chapter I shall relate some tales
about this barbarous method of training — now happily a thing
of the past — and I will only say here that the poor brutes were
driven to perform their "tricks" by being thrashed with
whips and burned with red-hot irons.

For many years I had been pondering over this subject,

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE

31

and I had come to the conclusion that the prevalent mode of
procedure was not only cruel, but also stupid and ineffectual.
Brutes, after all, are beings akin to ourselves. Their minds
are formed on the same plan as our minds ; the differences
are differences of degree only, not of kind. They will repay
cruelty with hatred, and kindness with trust. What, there-
fore, could be more foolish than the senseless manner in
which every spark of intelligence was driven out of the
hapless pupils ? I knew full well from long and intimate
association with the lower animals that their understanding
develops wonderfully by close friendship with man, and I
was convinced that far more could be achieved by gentleness
and sympathy than was ever accomplished by tyrannical
cruelty. This, however, was not my only discovery. I had
also found from experience that animals of the same species
differed most remarkably in character, and from this I inferred
that if the talents of each animal were to be fully developed,
individual tuition during training would be absolutely essential.
Here again we have a point of similarity to ourselves. These,
then, were my ideas upon this not unimportant subject, and
about twenty years ago I proceeded to put them into practice.
I established a circus in Hamburg in 1887, and before
long I found a trainer whom
I induced to adopt my new
methods of educatino- the
animals. I met this man
(whose name was Deyer-
ling) in England, and as he
happened to be unemployed
I engaged him on the un-
derstanding that he should
work on my system only.

I at first showed him what Hagenbeck's first circus.

I proposed to do by training dogs and cats to perform tricks
without ever resorting to force (except in cases of gross
disobedience), and I then expressed to him my opinion that if

32 BEASTS AND MEN

this could be done with these small carnivores, a like result
could be achieved with lions and tigers.

The first experiment in this "gentle" training, as I will
call it, was made with lions during the years 1887-89. For
my purpose I used no fewer than twenty-one lions, but so
variable are the characters of animals, that only four turned
out to have the necessary talent for the work. I will not go
into details of the training in this place, but will only say that
the success with the remaining four lions was nothing- short of
astounding. They carried out all manner of tricks, the
climax of the performance coming when the trainer harnessed
three of the mighty carnivores to a chariot and drove triumph-
antly around the cage- This troupe first appeared in the
Nouveau Cirque in Paris in 1889, and during the next
few years they were exhibited in many other towns, bringing
me, I may mention incidentally, a very large profit.

At that time all the world was looking forward to the
great exhibition at Chicago, which was to take place in 1893,
and it occurred to me that it would be a grand thing if I could
exhibit there a huge troupe of performing animals, trained on
my new humane system. I therefore commenced to get
together a large collection of wild beasts for this purpose-
My troupe consisted of twelve lions, two tigers, several
cheetahs and three bears. These performers were first
exhibited in 1891, at the Crystal Palace, in London, where
they were in charge of my brother-in-law, Heinrich Mehrmann,
who in the meantime had become my most distinguished
animal tamer. At the Crystal Palace they were an immense
success, and two Americans offered me 50,000 dollars for the
troupe — -a handsome sum. This offer I refused, little knowing
that I was thereby throwing ^10,000 into the gutter.

I was now in for a bad time. One day in September I
heard from Mehrmann that the animals were sick, and that
he was unable to diagnose the ailment. As the beasts were
to be brought back to Hamburg in October, and as the trouble
did not sound serious, I thought it unnecessary to take any

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE

35

steps until after I had been able to inspect them on their
return home. So nothing- was done. When, however, a few
weeks later, the animals arrived in Germany, we discovered
to our dismay that they were all suffering from glanders. In
spite of our care, the disease proved fatal in every case ; all
the creatures either died or had to be put out of their misery.
The cause of the illness seems to have been the bad meat
which was supplied by the unscrupulous contractor in England.
Here was a pretty mess ! All the hopes I had founded
upon the now famous achievements of my magnificent troupe

Fuegian family.

were in the space of a few days dashed to the ground. Yet
I was only at the beginning of my troubles. I set to work to
make up new troupes, but death, though in a different form,
overtook these also. During the first part of 1892 numberless
inmates of my menagerie were seized with an extraordinary
illness. They began by being afflicted with vomiting and
diarrhoea, and later fell into convulsions, usually dying within
a few days. Both young animals and adults were attacked
by this inexplicable ailment, though the latter for the most
part recovered. The most expert veterinary authorities were
as completely mystified as myself Only later did the correct
explanation of this grievous pestilence become clear. In

36 BEASTS AND MEN

August the cholera broke out in Hamburg. Now my pets
had perished with all the symptoms of cholera, and if the
correct diagnosis had occurred to us, it is conceivable that the
dire disaster which overtook Hamburg that autumn might
have been prevented. It would seem that the delicate con-
stitutions of the exotic animals were very susceptible to this
plague, for, as I have explained, the cholera attacked the
beasts for some months before any human beings suffered
from its ravages. How true it is that cholera is spread
through the agency of foul drinking water, was clearly de-
monstrated by the fact that after the veterinary surgeon had
ordered the animals to be given boiled water only, no more
of them were attacked by the disease.

In spite of these great losses I still had a few animals left
which I hoped to exhibit at Chicago. Then a further diffi-
culty arose. One day towards the end of 1892 I suddenly
received a cablegram from a gentleman who was my partner
in this American enterprise, in which I was informed that
I must send my animals over to England immediately, for if
I failed to do this the United States Government would not
permit me to bring them to Chicago in the following year.
The American authorities feared that the beasts might
spread the cholera in the United States, and they insisted
upon this period of quarantine in England. To England
therefore the whole collection went, regardless of expense,
and there the creatures sojourned for the whole of that winter.
Luckily for me, the British Government did not meddle in
the affair, and raised no objection to England being utilised
as an asylum for the beasts. Next year the menagerie
was shipped across the Atlantic and duly established in
Chicago. Just before the opening of the exhibition, Mehr-
mann fell ill, and I was compelled to put the chief troupe of
performing animals through their tricks myself, although I
had had nothing to do with them for five months previously.
However, the show went off quite well.

Since that time I have sent out many troupes of perform-

MY LIFE IN THE ANIMAL TRADE

37

ing animals into all parts of the world, notably to the great
exhibition of St. Louis in 1904, and all these are trained on
my own humane system, which is, indeed, now adopted by
all respectable animal tamers. In my park at Stellingen, the
establishment of which I am about to describe in the next
chapter, an excellent troupe of lions and polar bears is to be
seen. These are in charge of the expert trainer Fritz
Schilling, who appears in the accompanying photograph.

Schilling with lion-tiger hybrids.

CHAPTER 11.

MY PARK AT STELLINGEN.

In the previous chapter I have related the earlier history of
my business, I still have to give a record of its subsequent
development into the great animal park now existing at
Stellingen.

As the years rolled by, my business gradually increased
until its branches extended to all parts of the world. To its
original purpose, viz., the buying and selling of live animals,
many new purposes came to be added. I had ethnographic
exhibitions ; I was interested in the propaganda of the new
humane method of training wild animals ; I had breeding
experiments ; and there were many other ideas which I was
only awaiting an opportunity to carry out. For the execution
of all these projects the space now at my disposal was wholly
insufficient. It became therefore a matter of the first im-
portance to acquire an extensive tract of country, where I
should be free from the handicap of a confined space.
Especially was this necessary for my experiments in acclima-
tisation. These it had now become essential for me to
undertake, seeing that a large portion of my business was in
the importation of game from foreign countries for sporting
purposes, and trading in the many kinds of domesticated
animals. I was, moreover, receiving orders to supply animals
for the new Zoological Gardens which were springing up in
Morocco, China, Japan, Argentina and elsewhere. This
alone required a good deal of room, and a removal had
clearly become a necessity.

I found, much to my regret, that my additional require-

38

MY PARK AT STELLINGEN 39

ments could not be met in my native town of Hamburg. I
had indeed acquired in 1888 an additional piece of ground in
that city larger than my grounds at Neuer Pferdemarkt, but
it was not laree enough ; and the neicrhbourinof lands, which all
belono-ed to the State, were withheld from me in the most
rigid manner by the authorities. I was thus driven to look
elsewhere. It so happened that I was one day recounting
my troubles to a friend living at Stellingen, a place in
Prussia not very far from Hamburg. Scarcely had I finished
speaking, than my friend took me by the arm and led me to
a hedge opposite his house over which he showed me a piece
of land having an area of about four and a half acres, which
he said was to be had very cheap. I lost no time in settling
the matter. Within two days the land was my property.
Immediately afterwards I found that two neighbouring
estates were to be sold, and within twenty-four hours these
also had passed into my possession.

Thus it was that I became the owner, after years of
searching, of a splendid estate on elevated ground, admirably
suited to the foundation of a park for wild animals. Plans
were drawn, and men set to work without delay, and in five
months' time twelve large enclosures and five animal houses
were ready to receive their inmates.

Although the locality which I had selected was in itself
admirably suited to the purpose that I had in view, it had
the defect of being somewhat distant from the remainder of
my establishment in Hamburg. The communication be-
tween Hamburgr and Stellinofen also was bad ; and I set to
work to consider the possibility of buying up more country
between the two places, and of establishing a direct means of
communication between them. In this way the area of my
animal park would have scope for unlimited expansion as the
business grew, and I should be in no danger of being shut in,
as I was at Hamburg. The undertakincr was a laree one,
and I had to find other capitalists to co-operate with me.
This, after some delay, I succeeded in doing. Two brothers

40

BEASTS AND MEN

contributed each ^5,000. I myself put in ^7,500 and gave
an undertaking to transfer my establishment completely to
Stellingen.

Now at last I was in a position to carry out my long-
nursed project of founding a Zoological Park of a totally
different kind from anything that had been before attempted.
I need not here go into the details of my plan : they will
appear in subsequent chapters. I will content myself with
stating the fundamental principle. I desired, above all things,
to give the animals the maximum of liberty. I wished to

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^^^^^^^^^m

J^^H

IJM^^^^^^^

HII^Hk>^r^^«nii

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Framework of artificial mountains.

exhibit them not as captives, confined within narrow spaces,
and looked at between bars, but as free to wander from place
to place within as large limits as possible, and with no bars to
obstruct the view and serve as a reminder of the captivity.
I wished also to show what could be accomplished in the way
of acclimatisation. I desired to refute the prevailing notion
that luxurious and expensive houses with complicated heating
apparatus were necessary for keeping wild animals alive and
healthy. I hoped to show that far better results could be
obtained when they were kept in the fresh air and allowed to
grow accustomed to the climate. I wished my new park to
be a great and enduring example of the benefits that can be
wrought by giving the animals as much freedom and placing

MY PARK AT STELLINGEN 41

them in as natural an environment as possible. A certain
point must be fixed in the garden from which might be seen
every kind of animal moving about in apparent freedom and
in an environment which bore a close resemblance to its own
native haunts.

For the chamois, the wild sheep, and the ibex, artificial
mountains had to be thrown up ; for animals of the plains,
wide commons had to be set apart. For the carnivores,
glens had to be established, not confined within railings, but
separated from the public only by deep trenches, large enough
to prevent the animals from getting out, but not in any way
interfering with the view. In the midst there must be a
central building with a large arena for performing purposes ;
while, close by, it was necessary to establish large areas for
accommodating animals who were not permanent residents
but only there in transit. Of these I now have a very laro-e
number. Whereas ten years ago I scarcely sold twenty head
of game for sporting purposes, I now sell many hundreds yearly.
In old days I considered that I had done well if I sold six or
eight camels in a year. I now think little of selling one
hundred. In zebras, also, my trade has grown from three or
four specimens a year to fifty specimens. All these animals
have to be housed while in transit. Seeing that the trade in
many other kinds of animals has increased in a similar pro-
portion, it is obvious that a very large area is needed for this
purpose. Even among elephants, which I used to keep up to
the number of twenty in my old establishment at Neuer
Pferdemarkt, the numbers are now greatly
increased, and in 1904 I had no less than
forty-three of these great creatures at the
same time.

The work of transformingf this virofin
land into a pleasure park was immense.
From its original waste condition it had to
be altered in a great variety of ways. Moun-
tains had to be thrown up, and valleys and streams had to

42

BEASTS AND MEN

be dug out. Stables and luxurious buildings also had to be
erected. Moreover, as opportunity afforded, I was continually-
adding to the extent of my territory ; and by watching for
occasions of picking up neighbouring estates at a cheap price,
I gradually increased the area of my park. I succeeded after
considerable difficulty in selling my land in Hamburg, some of
it to the Hamburger Vereinsbank, and the remainder to the
State, after having overcome every difficulty put in my way
by the worthy Town Councillors of Hamburg. Thus at last
we were finally planted at Stellingen.

Thfe acquisition of the land and the remainder of the
preliminary preparations were completed in October, 1902,
and in that month we were able to commence operations in
transforming the land and building the houses, etc. The
estate itself consisted at first of nothing but wide fields upon
which grew half a dozen trees. To carry out my plans no

less than 40,000 cubic metres of earth had
to be shifted, before the surface of the land
alone was prepared. A large army of work-
men were turned on to the job, and day by
day I saw the work develop, as one after
another of the ideas, which I had so long
dreamt of, were realised before my eyes. At
last on 7th May, 1907, the opening ceremony
took place — the crowning triumph of many
years of strenuous labour.

Since the establishment of this oreat
park my business has continued to increase
without intermission. As an instance of the
large scale on which my trading transactions
are conducted I may mention that in 1906 I supplied no
fewer than 2,000 dromedaries to South West Africa for the
German Government. In the variety as well as in the
magnitude of my business development has taken place.
Many experiments have been carried out in housing animals
and acclimatisation ; in breeding and the crossing of different

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MY PARK AT STELLINGEN 45

races with one another ; and finally, in the course of the last
year I succeeded in the final achievement of establishing an
ostrich farm. Since my park is a wholly new kind of
menagerie it has, of course, attracted much attention, and I
have received visits from various distinguished persons, in-
cluding one or two from the German Emperor himself.

CHAPTER III.

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT.

I MUST now proceed to describe the manner in which the
various denizens of my animal park are captured in their
native haunts, and must relate, in particular, the interesting
experiences which my travellers have had in the Sudan, in
Rhodesia, and elsewhere.

There is no business or profession in existence in which
the science of travel, and all the difficulties connected there-
with, play such a prominent part as in the animal trade. In
the exercise of his business the animal trader has to search
the uttermost parts of the earth. In the primeval forests of
Africa, in the deep jungles of India and Ceylon, on the vast
steppes of Mongolia and Siberia, the traveller wanders for
weeks, nay for months at a time, in search of the strange
dwellers in the wild.

Unlike the hunter, who is attracted only by the love of
sport, the animal trader goes to work. He goes, not to
destroy his game, but to take it alive ; and consequently not
the least of the difficulties with which he is beset is the
discovery of some practicable way of bringing back his booty
to civilisation. As a rule, every foot of the arduous journey
is attained only at the expense of some loss to the caravan.

Books and maps dealing with the countries where we carry
on our work are few and far between, for naturally the
localities where wild animals are to be caught are very remote
from all the more civilised parts of the world. Nor are these
the only obstacles ; for uncivilised peoples, no less wild than
the beasts, have to be secured and made friends with — a

40

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT

47

matter of no small difficulty. Moreover, travellers' tales
about wonderful animals which are to be causfht — but which
never yet have been caught — send many expeditions upon
fruitless errands.

The Egyptian Sudan is one of the richest and most
inexhaustible sources of animal life. This reofion is of enor-
mous extent. One of those best acquainted with it, my old
friend and faithful fellow- worker, Joseph Menges, the world-
wide traveller, speaking of it, says: "Speaking widely, one
can include in this area the whole of the North Abyssinian
plain, which stretches from Massowah to the upper Blue Nile.
The main hunting region consists, however, of the district of
Taka, beginning in the east with the upper Chor Baraka,
and ending in the west with the upper courses of the Rahad,
a tributary of the Blue Nile."
This country consists largely of
steppes, interspersed with bush,
from which rise picturesque rocky
hills, which in Abyssinia begin to
assume the character of wild higfh-
lands. The fauna of the country
is wonderfully rich : the African
elephant, the black rhinoceros, the
hippopotamus, the giraffe, the
lion, the panther, the hysena, the
hysena-dog, the aard-wolf, the jackal, wild-asses, the Kaffir-
buffalo, and many kinds of antelopes ; also the wart-hog, the
aard-vark, the porcupine, baboons, and other monkeys. The
avifauna is also very rich : the swift-footed ostrich, the mara-
bou, the secretary-bird, various kinds of vultures, the rhino-
ceros-hornbill, francolins and others. Crocodiles, snakes, etc.,
make up the list of animals which can be hunted in this fruit-
ful district.

It is only natural that this wealth of fine animals, including
most of the ofiants of the animal kino^dom, should for a loner
time have attracted the attention of Europeans ; and the

At work.

48 BEASTS AND MEN

region may be described as one of the classical countries for
capturing animals.

For many years this animal paradise was closed, and the
anof-el with the flaminor sword who ouarded the orate was Ab-
dullahi Kalifat el Mahdi, the false follower of a false prophet.
None of the animals inhabiting the country could be brought to
Europe ; and for this reason, that to meet with the Mahdi meant
both for Europeans and for Egyptians almost certain death,
or at the very least long captivity. Nevertheless it would be
a mistake to suppose that these regions are inhabited by a
fanatical, bloodthirsty population ; for the savage barbarity
which prevailed was entirely confined to the rulers. Although
the country is so rich in game, the inhabitants are for the
most part not hunters ; much more often they are either resi-
dent peasants, eking out their livelihood by the additional pur-
suit of some trade in the country villages near by ; or else
nomads, leading their herds from pasture to pasture and carry-
ing their tents and household goods upon the backs of their
camels.

In spite of their peaceable disposition, such of the Nubians
who do adopt the pursuit make bold huntsmen. For people
born in a land so richly stocked with game, hunting is the
most natural of callings. On the banks of the rivers, in the
almost impenetrable forests, and on the plains, which in the
rainy season are covered by grass ten to fifteen feet high,
the elephant wanders in herds of from fifty to a hundred
head, the black double-horned rhinoceros feeds in pairs, and
gentle giraffes, wild Kaffir-buffaloes, and fieet antelopes are
to be found in hundreds. And the great carnivores follow
in their tracks. The native hunter knows the favourite
resorts of his quarry, and follows their trail with those remark-
able powers of tracking which characterise savages. He
pits his cunning against the timidity of the animals. Entire
families and villages devote themselves to the dangerous but
attractive occupation of hunting, and in this way regular
hunting castes have been built up.

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 51

The most eminent of these castes is that of the sword-
hunters or "Agaghir," who consider themselves the aristo-
cracy of their profession ; and not without reason, for the
method of hunting adopted by them, and which is almost
peculiar to Taka, needs courage, activity and skill.

The method of the sword-hunter is peculiar, and, with
certain kinds of game, dangerous. In all cases the object of
the huntsman is to sever the Achilles tendon of his quarry.
Where giraffes, antelopes, ostriches or similar harmless
creatures are concerned, the sport calls for no greater skill
than is required to ride over uneven and treacherous ground.
But where rhinoceros, lions or elephants are being pursued,
the case is different ; and it then often happens that the
positions of hunter and hunted are reversed. The ponies
used for this purpose are of Abyssinian breed ; and, like their
riders, they are small, strong and fiery.

On the whole, the most dangerous game to hunt with the
sword are elephants. The chase is usually carried out by a
band of four or five experienced men, united by so strong
a bond of fellow-feeling that, when the life of any one is in
danger, each of the others will unhesitatingly risk his own
in attempting a rescue. Menges, who is an old hand at this
work, describes the course of events somewhat as follows :
The streams and drinking-places are first searched for signs
of elephant-trails. When once these are hit upon, they are
followed up till the great beast is reached. This is no easy
matter, for the African elephant is a great wanderer, travelling
often for a whole day and night without a halt. More fre-
quently, however, the herd wanders during the cooler part of
the day through the forest and steppes, and stops to rest during
the hotter hours of noon. At this time the herd is usually
very compact, and almost invisible in the thick foliage ; so
that the chances of a successful assault are small. The most
suitable moment for attack is when the herd is much scattered ;
it is then comparatively easy to select a bull with good tusks
and isolate him from the rest. Once isolated, his first impulse

4*

52 BEASTS AND MEN

is flight ; but the huntsmen surround him, and no loophole of
escape remains. Then with a loud trumpeting, which strikes
terror into the breasts of the unfortunate ponies, he launches
himself furiously against the nearest of his enemies.

Now it is generally arranged that all the huntsmen should
be mounted on dark-coloured ponies, with the exception of
one, who rides a grey. The attention of the elephant, whose
sight is not good, is attracted by the colour. Upon the grey
pony, therefore, the mighty creature usually directs his attack.
It is the business of the rider, at the first onset, to turn and
flee. The elephant promptly gives chase ; and the flying hunts-
man, ignoring the fact that the slightest slip means death, en-
deavours to keep just out of reach, though near enough to
hold the animal's attention concentrated upon him. In the
meantime his comrades follow the elephant from behind, and
whoever reaches him first springs from his pony, and delivers
a dexterous blow with his sword on the left hind leg of the
animal, which cuts the Achilles tendon, and lames him on one
side. As the elephant hastily turns to avenge himself upon
this new enemy, it becomes the turn of the rider who was
formerly being chased to stop, dismount, and with a similar
blow on the rio-ht hind leo" to lame the animal on the other
side, so that he is totally disabled. If the blows have been
delivered with sufficient skill and force, the arteries of the
hind legs have been cut, and the elephant bleeds slowly but
almost painlessly to death. If there is a gun at hand, his
sufferings are more quickly terminated. Once he is dead,
hours of arduous labour commence. The tusks are broken
off; the hide also is removed, to be used for shields or sword-
scabbards, or for harness for ploughs. The flesh is left for
vultures and wild beasts, unless, indeed, there should happen
to be in the vicinity a camp of the nomads. In that case the
carcase is appropriated by them. They cut the meat into
strips and dry it in the sun (like the South American charqiii) ;
it is then put aside for use in the rainy season.

For the European, armed with weapons both accurate

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 53

and deadly, big-game hunting is attended with little danger.
In the Arctic Regions the polar bear, once so formidable,
now excites scarcely more fear than the musk-ox ; while in
Africa the sportsman approaches to within a few paces of
lions or elephants, to photograph them before he despatches
them. But for the natives big-game hunting is a very differ-
ent matter. Then the fray is far from one-sided ; the weapons
of the man are little, if at all, superior to those of the brute ;
and the " hunting" is more of the nature of a hand-to-hand
encounter, requiring the utmost skill and courage on the part
of the human combatant. Should a horse stumble — an
accident which, on that uneven ground, intersected by under-
ground streams, is only too likely to happen — death either to
the animal or its rider is the probable result. We need not
be surprised that the Sudanese assert that the professional
elephant-hunter never dies at home, but ends sooner or later
under the tusks and feet of a hunted elephant.

The rhinoceros, buffalo and lion are also killed by swords-
men in the same way as elephants. The giraffe, antelope
and ostrich are chased until fatiufue overcomes them. In their
case, although there is no danger, the strain both upon man
and horse is severe, on account of the length and swiftness of
the pursuit. We might go at much greater length into the
mode of killing wild animals in this interesting country, from
the skilful ostrich-hunting of the Bedouins, to the wholesale
slaughter of the European "sportsman". Our special con-
cern, however, is not with the killing of animals, but with
the methods of catching them alive; let us therefore follow
the career of one of my hunters, who has been sent on this
errand.

Daybreak at Atbara. A gentle breeze stirs the grassy
steppes ; the trees are suffiised with the bright glare of a ris-
ing African sun. In the thick woods on either side of the
river there is the twittering of countless swarms of birds, from
the gigantic marabou to the little swallow which flits over the

54 ' BEASTS AND MEN

water. Away in the distance there rises from the glassy
water the uncouth head of a crocodile- — or is it only a sand-
bank ? It is already becoming hot, and the air is humming
with myriads of insects. In our station, situated not far from
the river-bank, life is beginning to stir.

The enclosure or seriba in which our station is settled is
surrounded by a large fence made of branches of trees, and
has only one entrance, which is carefully stopped by thorn
branches. Within the enclosure are huts, built of straw, for
the Europeans and their black servants, as also stalls for the
animals that are captured, and some stores of food-supply.
The fires which were lighted in various parts of the seriba to
frighten away wild animals have long ago gone out, and now
the working-day is about to begin in earnest.

My hunters had arrived only the day before, and every-
thing was pleasure and excitement. The whites, who knew
the laneuaee, greeted their black friends with heartfelt
warmth ; and on both sides presents were liberally exchanged.
Those given by the blacks consisted of fatted sheep, fowls,
eggs, honey and other forms of delicacies, which the whites
amply repaid by goods dear to the black man's heart. So a
great feast had to take place, at which such of the presents as
were edible were eaten — for the most part by the donors
themselves. This was followed by war-dances and sham-
fights with lances, swords and shields, accompanied by drums
and shrieks ; while the women indulged in graceful group-
dances, amid much clapping of hands and beating of drums.
Camel- and horse-racing were the most important items of the
entertainment ; and conviviality was carried far into the night,
by the light of the laager fire.

By the next morning everything has settled down, and
business commences in earnest. Crowds of curious natives
collect around the camp, many of them in search of employ-
ment as hunters. Hunting cavalcades are engaged, receive
their directions, are equipped with arms and ammunition, and
sent off in various directions.

J'» i :i

c8

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o

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 57

The method which these cavalcades generally pursue in
the capture of young animals is to chase the herd, until the
young, lagging behind, can be isolated from their parents.
They are then easily seized and made secure. Among
giraffes and antelopes this procedure is attended with but
little danger ; and even among buffaloes, which have no
qualms about deserting their young, the work is compara-
tively safe. But in the case of rhinoceros and elephants, for
which the demand is much greater, the capture is not so simple.
These great creatures turn vigorously to defend their young ;
and the latter cannot as a rule be secured without first killing
the old ones. This is done by the swordsmen of Taka in the
manner already described. The catching of young giraffes
by the expedient of chasing the herds until the young can
no longer keep up was first practised in Kordofan during the
thirties of last century. I need hardly mention that the
utmost care has to be taken of the captured animals. A herd
of goats is taken along, in order to keep up a constant supply
of fresh milk ; but even with this precaution a large number
of the captives die soon after they have been made prisoners,
and scarcely half of them arrive safely in Europe.

The Takruris — Mohammedan negroes who have emigrated
from Darfur — are especially skilful in hunting and trapping.
They are equally adept in catching hyaenas, panthers and
baboons in carefully constructed traps, or in digging out porcu-
pines, or in securing birds, such as secretary-birds, francolins,
etc., in snares and nets of ingenious patterns. This versatility
renders them invaluable to us as assistants.

The Havati, or water-hunters, carry on a very special-
ised trade. Their particular quarry is crocodiles and hippo-
potami ; and, being very expert swimmers, they actually
attack these creatures in their own element. The weapon
employed is the harpoon. A long cord is attached to it, so
that the harpoon, after it has been cast, can be drawn back
again by the thrower. The time usually selected for this sport
is the hot hours of noon, when the crocodiles are lazily sunning

58 BEASTS AND MEN

themselves on the sand-banks, and the hippopotami are floating
dreamily at the surface of the water. Once the animal has
been harpooned, it is surrounded by swimmers and pushed
ashore, where it is quickly despatched by lances. When it is
desired to take the beasts alive a slight variation on this
procedure is adopted. The young, of course, are alone
selected ; and the harpoons are hurled so as to inflict as small
a wound as possible. With constant attention this will prob-
ably soon heal up. Although this mode of harpooning calls
for much skill and experience, no less than three-quarters of
the hippopotami formerly brought to Europe used to be caught
in this fashion.

If one is to believe the comic journals, all that has to be
done to catch a lion is to throw a bag of pepper in his face,
and then proceed to chain him up in safety. To catch a
monkey they suggest that one need only leave a pair of
boots, well smeared with lime, in the grass, when the creature
will come of his own accord and pull them on, and remain
stuck fast till the hunter arrives to take him home. Very
different from these facile methods is the reality.

In one of our regular huntinsf-afrounds, in the neisfhbour-
hood of the Mareb or Gash, lives the great brown baboon,
known as the Atbara baboon {Cynocephahts doguerd). The
rugged and barren rocks of this picturesque region resound
with the cries and grunts of these baboons, who wander about
in herds of a hundred or more. They often come down for
food to the palm-woods which border the banks of the river,
or pay a highly unwelcome visit to the natives' doura^
plantations. Our station here was situated on the Gash, a
rain-stream which contains water during the rainy season,
while during the rest of the year its course is marked by a
streak of glistening sand. Our camp lay just beneath the
Sahanei mountains, and close to a great cluster of rocks which
swarmed with baboons. Here and there pools of water were

"^ KVxndi oizom^S or ghmn vulgar e.

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 59

left in the dry river-bed, in places where the subsoil prevented
the water from trickling away ; and close to our station were
several such pools which the baboons used as drinking-places.
All day long we used to hear them fighting and chattering as
they came to drink, and even by night there was little quiet.
On the narrow ledge of rock above the pools whole families
■ — or perhaps I should say harems— used to collect. We
could hear plainly the low grunts and squeaks with which the
mother lulls her baby to rest ; we could hear the grumbling of
the father, who has been disturbed by the noise. Suddenly
there would be a yell ; and thereupon the whole herd would
break into frantic screaming. The baboon's arch-enemy, the
slinking panther, has tried to make an assault. It was im-
possible to help admiring the fine old males, full of courage
and self-reliance. It was to make their nearer acquaint-
ance that we had come here ; and since they were not suffi-
ciently versed in European politeness to accept an invitation,
more active measures must be taken to secure their attend-
ance.

In the success of these more active measures we were
greatly aided by the arrival at our station of our old friend
Abdulla Okutt — a member of the half-savage tribe of Basas
and a well-known ostrich-hunter. All the apparatus required
consisted of cords and a few axes, together with a number
of assistants, who of course expected to be liberally re-
warded with "backsheesh" for each animal captured. Ah!
poor monkeys, look out for yourselves now ; the mighty
Abdulla is on your tracks !

The first thing to be done was to stop up all the drinking-
pools, save one, with thorn-bushes. The baboons were thus
all compelled to use this one. They took to it the more
readily, in that, the whole time we were there, we had been
careful not to interfere with or frighten them in any way, so that
they were quite unsuspicious of any trap. We encouraged
them still further by scattering doura about the pool — a pro-
ceeding which was so much appreciated that the older

6o BEASTS AND MEN

animals would often keep away the young until they had
devoured it.

When, by these treacherous means, thorough confidence
had been established with the baboons, the time came for set-
ting the traps, which were to make them still more our guests,
and eventually also emigrants. The trap is a fairly simple
contrivance. The base is circular, about two and a half yards
in diameter, and is composed of tough rods twisted together.
Round the outer edge of this base, at intervals of about a
foot, are fixed stout stakes, leaning inwards so as to meet
together at the top. The framework thus constructed is inter-
laced with branches of trees, tied together with cord ; and
the whole structure then makes a solid cage, of considerable
weight, and somewhat resembling a native's hut in appear-
ance. When it has been completed it has to be conveyed to
its proper situation in the neighbourhood of the drinking-pool.
Here one side of it is left open, being propped up with a strong
stick, and the baboons are gradually inveigled into it by
leaving doura inside. When they have become thoroughly
accustomed to the trap, the final stage in the proceedings
commences. In the darkness of night a long cord is at-
tached to the pole which holds the trap open. It is
carried along, buried loosely in the sand, until the other end
reaches a hiding-place, whence a good view of the cage can
be obtained. Then comes the tragedy. A blazing noonday
sun drives the thirsty baboons chattering down to their drink-
ing-hole. Some of the biggest males, who have already
secured a monopoly of the doura, enter the trap, and com-
mence their feast. The hunter awaits his opportunity : it
soon comes ; a tug on the cord, the trap closes with a bang,
and three great baboons are fairly caught.

Then there follows a scene, both comical and painful,
which baffles description. For a moment the astounded
prisoners sit benumbed with terror and unable to move ; then
they anxiously begin to seek an exit. The herd outside, no
less surprised, flee at the first alarm ; but they soon return

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 6i

and congregate round the trap, urging the captives with ear-
splitting yells and grunts to find their way out. Some of the
boldest jump right on to the top of the trap, and appear to carry
on an excited conversation with their friends inside. At least
that is what the American Professor Garner would say, who,
by dint of much imagination and little science, has for years
past been laboriously constructing a monkey-language.

The hunters, however, cannot afford to wait while this
scene is going on, for baboons are endowed with great
strength, and would soon break throug-h the walls of their
cage. On the approach of their captors they show all the
signs of extreme terror, and endeavour to force their heads
through the walls. And now, as may easily be imagined,
comes the really critical and dangerous part of the performance,
namely, to take the animals out of the cage and secure them.
The hunters are provided with long stakes, forked at the
end, which they push through the branches forming the cage-
wall. With the forked ends they catch the baboon's neck,
and pin him to the ground. When all the baboons have been
thus secured the upper part of the cage is removed, and the
creatures are firmly bound. First their jaws are muzzled with
strong cord, made of palm-strips ; then hands and feet are
tied ; and lastly, to make assurance doubly sure, the animal's
whole body is wrapped up in cloth, so that the captive has the
appearance of a great smoked sausage ! The parcel is then
suspended from a pole carried by two persons, and conveyed
triumphantly to the station.

These great baboons have strong nerves — no wonder,
they neither smoke, drink, nor do any work, and always live
in the fresh summer air ! So, after a brief period of exhaustion,
followed by a day or two of quiet, they recover their normal
spirits. The large males must, however, be carefully watched.
They are very angry and jealous, and will probably kill any
other of their kind put in to keep them company. Even
females are likely to have a poor time of it ; for the males
keep all the food to themselves, and allow their women to go

62 BEASTS AND MEN

hungry. It is on account of the selfishness of the males that
females and young baboons are so rarely caught in the cages
by means of bait. When by chance one does get in, it is
usually allowed to escape again.

Menges, who has worked much on these baboon-stations,
and whose account I here follow, has a low opinion of the
intelligence of the animals. This he has derived from the
circumstance that the same individual, when allowed to
escape, is so often caught again in the same trap. There is no
doubt that this is the case ; and, since the traps are large and
easily recognisable, it seems to argue no great intelligence on the
part of the creatures. Abdulla relates how he caught one young
female, which he could recognise by a scar on the mouth, no
less than three times — each time, I regret to say, with a differ-
ent husband. On the third occasion he orave her a orood
hiding with his sjambok, and sent her about her business.
But another explanation of their falling so frequently into the
same trap is possible. For, among baboons, domestic dis-
cipline is very severe ; a female has to do exactly what her
husband wants, or else there is a row. In the case mentioned
above it is very probable that the female, having been twice
widowed and then appropriated by a third husband, was
compelled to follow him, however unwillingly, into the trap.

However entertaining baboon-catching may be to read
about, it is a very serious business for the actors. The
beasts have very powerful teeth and prodigious muscular
strength ; and if one of them should happen to escape, he
might inflict severe injury upon his captors.

Our station soon fills up with our four-handed guests. In
eight days we have caught no less than twenty-two of them,
all from the rocky wastes lying near the camp. They take
kindly to their captivity, however ; and, from the very first
day, have taken the food provided for them. Their com-
rades, still at large, do not forget them ; and often after the
midday drink will come close up to the seriba, and, climbing
up the tall palm-trees, howl out unintelligible words, which

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 63

are answered with mournful voices by the prisoners within.
What a real tragedy for, these poor baboons ! The conversa-
tion finally degenerates into an ear-splitting chorus. On one
occasion a baboon, bolder than the rest, jumped the thorn
barrier of the seriba and dashed up to one of the cages, in
which, maybe, he saw his brother, or father, or uncle sitting.
But he was speedily driven away by the attendants, amidst
the most appalling yells from the herd watching outside.

Sometimes baboon-catching is a much more sanguinary
business than this, especially in the case of the large silver-grey
" Tartarin " or " Arabian baboon " {Cy^iocephalus haniadryas).
This is a very pugnacious species, and, moving as it always
does in large herds, very dangerous to encounter. One of
my younger travellers tells a story of a baboon-fight in
Abyssinia, in which nearly three thousand baboons took part.
They are certainly very savage animals to look at. When
fighting they erect their manes and show their teeth and
strike the ground furiously with their hands, as they advance
to within a few feet of their enemy.

The capture of these "Arabian baboons" differs very
little from that already described. A trap is put out at the
drinking-pool in the same way as before ; but, instead of
having one trap-door, it has two, one on each side. The use
of this second door is as follows : On arriving at the trap
one baboon chief stands at the door to guard it, while only a
few are admitted within. But those that are excluded slink
round to the back ; and, finding another entrance there, the
cage soon fills. Then, as before, the cord is pulled, the trap
closes, and a terrified cry breaks from a thousand throats. It
was on such an occasion as this that the fight, already
alluded to, and in which 3,000 baboons joined, took place.
The whole army hurled themselves savagely upon the
hunters, who defended themselves as best they could with
firearms and cudgels. They were driven back, however, by
sheer force of numbers ; and the victorious baboons made
short work of the cage and released their imprisoned friends.

64

BEASTS AND MEN

Many touching scenes were witnessed in this battle. One
little baboon, who had been injured by a blow from a cudo-el,

Hagenbeck coming

was picked up and safely carried off by a great male from
the very midst of the enemy. In another instance, a female,

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 65

who already had one infant on her back, picked up and went
off with another whose mother had been shot.

It is not often, however, that the hunters fail in their task,
as on this occasion. When once the animals are enclosed in
the trap their fate is sealed. The method of removing them
from the trap is somewhat different from that already de-
scribed. The old ones are shot ; a small hole is then cut in
the side of the trap, and to this is applied the mouth of a
small cage. However they may clamber about the walls of
the trap, the baboons inside are at last compelled to enter
these small cages, in which they are sately carried oft.

The natives catch baboons in the same way as other
animals, namely, by pursuing them, when they come down
into the plains to rob the doura fields, until they are
thoroughly worn out. The young ones, and the mothers
carrying babies, lag behind the rest, and are then easily
isolated and secured.

To return to the seriba at Atbara. The day of our de-
parture is drawing near. The stalls and yard are filled with
captive animals — young elephants, giraffes, hippopotami, and
buffalo. Our primitive wooden cages are also well stocked
with panthers, pigs, and baboons ; so that the first part of our
work — that of catching the animals — is completed. But now
comes the second part, which is attended with even greater
dif^culty than the first, namely, the transport of the animals
across the desert to the port of embarkation on the Red Sea.
In order that the transport may be successful it has to be
organised with the most detailed thorousfhness and foresight.
The work before us is that of conveying across the waterless
desert a party consisting of 150 head of cattle and over 100
heavily-laden camels, together with the whole menagerie of
captured animals. Ours, however, is a very orderly caravan,
as it creeps along in the silence of the night, like a great
snake, across the wide expanse of glistening sands. The
moonlight throws long shadows behind the dunes ; and the
solitude is only broken now and again by the wild laugh of a

5

66 BEASTS AND MEN

hysena. The night is usually chosen for travelling, on ac-
count of the comparative coolness which is then enjoyed. In
the daytime all the countries surrounding the Red Sea are
scorched with heat, the thermometer often rising nearly to 45°
C. ( 1 1 3° F.) in the shade. At night, although the temperature
does not fall so very much, yet one does at least enjoy im-
munity from the fierce glare of the sunlight. Of the two
fundamental difficulties of travelling, the great heat and the
scarcity of water, the former is overcome by journeying only
at night, and the latter by careful preparations.

The caravan commences its march shortly before sunset ;
each man falling into his proper position at the appointed
time. The larger animals are driven along by one or more
attendants — a giraffe taking three persons, an elephant from
two to four, an antelope two, and an ostrich, if large, also two.
The smaller animals, such as young lions, panthers, baboons,
pigs or birds, are carried in cages roughly constructed on the
spot ; and these cages are placed on the backs of camels.
Right in the midst of our procession there marches a group of
camels harnessed in pairs. Over the pack-saddles of each
pair are laid two stout poles, and from these poles, between
the two animals, hangs a large cage, made of strong rods
bound together with strips of hide. Each cage contains a
young hippopotamus, who, in spite of his youth, weighs with
his cage well over a quarter of a ton. Each of these dis-
tinguished travellers requires a large party to wait upon him ;
for, in addition to the two camels which convey him along,
six or eight others are required for carrying the water which
he demands continuously throughout the journey, as also
for the bath — made of tanned ox-hide — which he enjoys
every day during the long halt. Hundreds of head of
sheep and goats are driven along with the procession ; the
nanny-goats providing a constant supply of milk for the
young animals, and the remainder being used as food for
the carnivores.

The speed of the caravan, being the speed of the slow-

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT ey

est animal, is not great. We march during the earlier part
of the nieht ; then there is a halt to feed and water the
animals ; after which we push on again till about an hour
after sunrise. During the day we get what protection we can
from the fierce rays of the sun, by sheltering under mimosas
and acacias, or by making a rough covering of mats. The
drinking-places in the desert are few and far between ; and,
when we come upon one of these welcome oases, a special
day of rest is granted. But even then it is not always easy
to take possession of them. For they are often occupied by
nomad tribes, who are only too ready to resort to arms in de-
fence of them, and can only be appeased by a liberal use of
"backsheesh". The drinking-places are often as much as
sixty miles apart ; and since this means a three- or four-day
journey for our slow-moving caravan, it may easily be im-
agined how great a quantity of water has to be carried with
us. It is kept in leather bottles made of goat- or ox-hide ;
and so precious is this fluid, upon which hang all our lives,
that it is difficult to think that it is nothing more remarkable
than plain water.

However carefully we organise our expedition, it is
inevitable that many of our captives should succumb before
we reach our journey's end. The terrible heat kills even
those animals whose natural home is in the country. The
powerful male baboons are very liable to sunstroke, which
kills them in half an hour ; and any weak point in their con-
stitution is sure to become aggravated during the journey.
Whether this is due to the terror and strain which they under-
went at their capture, or to being confined in cramped cages,
I cannot say. But the fact remains that not more than half
of them arrive safely at their destination, despite our utmost
care.

The long anxiety of these weary journeys is seldom wholly
unrelieved by amusing incidents. One such incident occurred
one day as we were passing through a valley in Northern
Abyssinia. As the caravan was drawing up at a well,

5*

68

BEASTS AND MEN

it fell in with an immense herd of "Arabian" baboons, whose
grunting and yelling drew answering cries from our captive
baboons. We were soon surrounded by these great monkeys ;
and even when we resumed our march they refused to leave
us, running along on either side of us, keeping up an incessant
conversation with their imprisoned relatives. Now and again
one would advance to within twenty paces of the cages, and

Disembarking a camel.

Disembarking an elephant.

with violent a-esticulation and screaminof would seem to be
adjuring the captives to break loose and come to join them.
But these brave champions of liberty soon had to retire be-
fore the volleys of stones hurled at them by our camel-drivers ;
and after a time they disappeared in the darkness of the
night.

At last the laborious journey, which has lasted from five
to six weeks, comes to an end ; and the caravan, or such of it
as still remains, reaches the port of embarkation on the Red
Sea. The motley crew take up a camping-ground close to the

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 69

town, to await the arrival of one of the steamers, which
periodically call there, to take them to Suez. At Suez they
are either transhipped to a steamer coming from India or the
Far East ; or preferably they are sent by train to Alexandria,
and shipped from there to one of the Mediterranean ports —
Trieste, Genoa, or Marseilles. When they arrive there
another railway journey still lies before them, and it is usually
another ten days before the animals and their keepers are
safely lodged at Hamburg. The entire journey from the
camp at Atbara or on the Gash occupies nearly three months.

During the long period of the Mahdi's regime, when the
whole country was closed, many changes were wrought in
this paradise of animals. Under the joint government of
Egypt and Great Britain order has been slowly restored, but
alas ! the country is not what it was. There is scarcely a
tenth of the game now that there was thirty years ago.
The elephants, formerly so abundant, are only found in small
herds ; the rhinoceros is almost extinct ; the giraffe is rare ;
antelopes have altogether vanished from many localities ;
while thousands of buffalo have fallen victims to the rinder-
pest.

The war against the Mahdi is both the direct and indirect
cause of this sad destruction of animal life. When the
Egyptian Government was overthrown, the natives came into
possession of large stores of modern breech-loaders ; which,
in the intervals between killing each other, they used for
killing animals of all kinds. It must be admitted that they
had a strong incentive to this slaughter. For, while the
treasury of the Mahdi was filled to bursting, the people of his
kingdom were being decimated by starvation. When the
Sudan had been utterly ravaged, and nothing was left to
plunder, the wild game was the only means of sustenance
that remained to them ; and a fierce rush for meat took
place. Whole armies set up their camps in the midst of our
hunting-ground and slaughtered game e7t masse; especially

70 BEASTS AND MEN

the Baeeara- Arabs of the White Nile, hunters no less famous
than the swordsmen of the Taka district. The Abyssinians,
too, who suffered under the same fate as their Sudanese
neighbours, were driven to the same extremes. Their
favourite quarry was the elephant ; and they not only took the
tusks, but devoured the flesh, not even rejecting the tough
meat of the legs. On one occasion a border prince organised
a regular elephant drive, at which no less than fifty-six of the
animals were slain in a single day. On this occasion the
scene of action resembled a pitched battle, for twenty Abys-
sinians were left dead on the field ; most of them, it is true,
killed, not by the elephants, but by aberrant bullets from the
rifles of their own friends.

In Abyssinia driving is a favourite method of attacking
game. The number of men available is unlimited, and all
living creatures are regarded as imperial property ; so that
there are no obstacles in the way of this pursuit. A zebra-
hunt, in which one of my travellers took part, may be de-
scribed as an example of the way in which these drives
are carried out. An army of as many as 2,000 soldiers
form a circle enclosing a very large tract of country, where
the zebras are known to be. The locality is selected so that
near the centre of the circle there passes one of the dried-up
river-beds, so common in that country. These sandy river-
beds are flanked on either side by high rocky banks. The
laree circle of men beoins to contract, driving the zebras into
the centre. The animals spring lightly into the river-bed,
from which they are unable to escape, by reason of the steep
sides. A o-uard is set in the river-bed on either side of them,
so as to prevent their moving up or down. When they
are thus securely penned in, a barbarous spectacle takes place.
A thousand soldiers attack the zebras with long whips, and
thrash them for hours, until they are thoroughly exhausted,
and their spirit tamed. This manoeuvre is attended with
much danger, and on the occasion in question thirty-three
men were either killed or severely wounded during the fray.

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT

71

The animals are then fettered, and driven off to the huts of
the natives. There they are fastened up, by ropes attached
to each of the
four legs, and
tied to pegs. In
a few days' time
they become
quiet and can
soon be driven
about, without
any necessity for
taking precau-
tionary mea-
sures. Grevy's
zebra, the species
of which I am
here writing, is
easily domesticated

Captured zebras in the kraal.
(German East Africa).

It has, moreover, a strong constitution
which would fit it well for the service of man in more civilised
countries. The Kilimanjaro zebra, on the other hand, is
a difficult animal to tame ; in its stubbornness it is very like
a donkey.

In the Sudan, at the end of the Mahdi's regime, we found
the country changed, not only in respect of the game, but
also in respect of the people who used to be our friends and
assistants. Misfortunes had so overwhelmed them that the
famous tribe of Hamran, from which all the best sword-
hunters were derived, was reduced to twenty men. Sword-
hunting itself was no longer practised, and was known to the
younger generation only through the tales of their parents.
The Havati or water-hunters also were no more. Both
these methods of killing game had been superseded by the
more effective, if less exciting, rifle of modern times.

The capture of young animals is effected in other ways
besides that of chasing them until they are overcome with
fatigue. Traps of various kinds are used ; and in the case of

72 BEASTS AND MEN

young hippopotami pitfalls are very commonly employed.
The success of this method is due to the habit of the hippo-
potamus of allowing its young to trot along in front of it, in-
stead of behind, so that it can keep a look-out for any danger
which may threaten its young one. The pitfall is made in a
track which the animal is in the habit of using, and is covered
over with branches to conceal it. As the hippopotamus goes
along with its young one in front, the latter suddenly seems
to vanish into the earth ; and the terrified mother, though not
wanting in maternal affection, is so taken aback that she turns
and flies, leaving her offspring to its fate. Then, if all goes
well, the hunter secures his booty without further trouble.
On one occasion, after a young hippopotamus had been caught
in this fashion, the natives came rushing into our camp beam-
ing with joy, shouting to us " Bana kiboko makufa ! " (The
hippopotamus is dead). Nothing was left to us but to reply
"Nakula kiboko!" (Eat it up) ; for it was their anticipation
of this permission that had caused all the rejoicing and tumult.
It often happens, when the animal is left a night in the pit, that
it is found by a lion ; and in the morning nothing is left of it
but skin and bones. But when no mishap has occurred it is
still a matter of some little difficulty to extract the hippopota-
mus from the pit. A palisade is first erected round the mouth
of the pit ; and over this palisade a noose is thrown round
the neck of the animal. When these creatures are agitated
they break into profuse perspiration, which causes them to
become so slimy and slippery that it is difficult to make the
noose hold. For this reason, it is passed not over the neck
only, but over the forelegs as well. As soon as the noose
is fixed in position the animal is hoisted a few inches off the
ground, by the combined efforts of about twenty men pulling
on the rope. Half a dozen others jump into the pit, and
bind together the forelegs and the hindlegs, as also the jaws ;
for the animals are obstinate and malicious, and it does not do
to run any risks with them. Unlike the rhinoceros, which soon
learns to know its keeper and will follow the caravan like a

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT

73

dog, the hippopotamus is an animal to be treated with caution.
When the captive has been made fast the palisade is broken
away, and a sloping path is dug out of the pit to the surface of
the o;round. A
litter is made of
stout poles and
branches, the hip-
popotamus is laid
upon the litter and
secured there with
more branches
twisted together ;
and he is then
hauled out. The
most laborious
part of the work
now commences,
namely, the trans-
port through
swamp or forest
to the nearest
river, A road
has to be hewn
the whole way
throug-h the bush.
Arrived at the
river, he is placed
upon a native
barge ; but before
being embarked Kalmuck priest.

for Europe he is accustomed to captivity and to the food
supplied him. The difficulty of carrying him may be inferred
from the fact that the young animal may weigh as much as
half a ton.

Some of the most arduous, as well as the most expensive,

74 BEASTS AND MEN

of the expeditions which I equipped and sent out, were those
to Mongolia and Siberia. Especially interesting was one
despatched at the instigation of the Duke of Bedford for the
purpose of catching and bringing home to Europe some
specimens of the wild horse {Eqtms pjjwalsky). Attempts
had often been made before to secure this animal, but, with
one exception, they had all miscarried. This exception was
in the case of the famous naturalist Falz-Fein, who had
brought some individuals of this rare species from the steppes
of Asia to his estate in the Crimea. Little, therefore, was
known about the wild horse ; its distribution, its habits, the
best mode of capturing it were still unstudied. The conduct
of the expedition was entrusted to Wilhelm Grieger, one of
my most reliable travellers. On him fell the responsibility
of making the preparations for the journey, and afterwards of
leading the expedition into Mongolia. He was provided with
plenty of money, and also letters of introduction and safe-
conduct from the Russian Government, the Chinese Am-
bassador in Berlin, and Prince Alexander of Oldenburg.
This latter one was of particular value in procuring a warm
welcome from the eminent Buddhist Lama, Dr. Radmai,
then resident in St. Petersburg, who placed at the disposal
of the expedition his great knowledge both of the people and
the country of Mongolia.

The first thing to be done, however, was to pay a visit
to Falz-Fein in South Russia, in order to ascertain from
him where these wild horses were to be found. This Grieger
did ; but he found Falz-Fein reluctant to divulge the informa-
tion he required. By indirect means, however, Grieger suc-
ceeded in ascertaining that the horses were to be found in the
neighbourhood of Kobdo, a town situated under the northern
slopes of the Altai Mountains — a very long journey right
through Russia, and Western Siberia, into Mongolia.

Having procured this information, Grieger returned in
high spirits to St. Petersburg, whence the expedition was
to set out. But at the last moment another obstacle was

c
>

o

p

n

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT -jj

encountered, which delayed the start several weeks. Dr.
Radmai pointed out that the current coin ot Europe was
quite useless on such a journey. The medium of exchange
in most request consists of large fiat silver pieces weighing
about 1 2 lbs. each ; and it was necessary to have a large
quantity of these manufactured at Hamburg before starting
off The metal is much lighter in colour than ordinary Eng-
lish silver ; and for small purchases it was the habit to break
off portions of the coin of whatever size might be required.
Tea and coloured woollen bands were also of use as money in
Monoolia.

Soon after the arrival of the money in St. Petersburg,
Grieger set forth upon his journey, full of hope for a success-
ful issue to his adventure. The time selected was winter —
a typical Russian winter, with town and country covered deep
in snow. This inclement season was chosen, in order that
the arrival in Mongolia might take place in the spring, when
the young foals had just been born ; and also that the severity
of a Mongolian winter migrht be avoided. It is true that
Monoolian summers brino- their troubles, as well as the
winters. The climate there is typically continental ; that is to
say, the temperature fluctuates with great rapidity and through
extreme variations. Thus it may not infrequently happen
that 80° F. (27° C.) is registered during the daytime, while
there is a frost at night. The cold nights, however, do little
to destroy the insect pests which afflict the traveller in the
warmer season. The banks of the Kobdo River swarm with
myriads of tiny gnats which settle in clouds upon the horses
when they go to drink. They attack in particular the tender
underparts of the animal ; and exposure to their bites for half
an hour is sufficient to ruin them effectually : death ensuing
from loss of blood and from inflammation.

Grieger, who took with him onlv one assistant, travelled
by the Siberian Railway through Moscow as far as Ob, where
the line is crossed by the river of that name. From there he
journeyed southwards by sledge about 170 miles to Biisk, a

78

BEASTS AND MEN

place some fifty miles from Altai. Up to this point the
journey had been performed with comparative ease. Scanty
provisions could be obtained at the widely separated stations
which they passed on their way ; but from Biisk the real
difficulties of the expedition commenced. Native drivers and
riders were hired for transporting into the interior the tents,
provisions, money, and other baggage belonging to the

_d

Mongolian village.

travellers. Riding on horses or camels, through deep snow
and in intense cold, 600 miles had to be traversed to reach
Kobdo by way of Kaschagatsch. On one occasion when
the thermometer fell to 50° below zero (F.) the fifty cases
of sterilised milk which had been taken as food for the
captured animals froze hard.

Although Kobdo had been selected as the headquarters
of the various expeditions, there was little in that distant
town that could be of any use to the travellers. The town

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT

79

itself has about 1,500 inhabitants, three-quarters of whom are
Mohammedan Tartars belongring- to a Turkestan tribe, while
the rest are Chinese merchants, trading in the products of
Mongolia. Besides the town itself, there is a fortress and a
prison ; and also the governor's palace, for it is a Govern-
ment centre. Kobdo is the terminus of the great caravan
route from Peking, which for camel caravans is distant a two
and a half months' journey.

A Kalmuck national dance.

The country north of the Altai Range is not wholly un-
inhabited. Along the banks of the river Zedzik-Noor there
dwell various Mongolian tribes of nomadic habits, each
governed by a chief or prince ; and in his excursions from
Kobdo, Grieger usually found them very friendly. He ar-
rived at his destination some time before the foaling period
had commenced, and filled up his time by studying the
aborigines, enlisting assistants, and hunting. The hardships
which he had to undergo at this time were often severe. He
had nothing but a tent to live in ; and with the temperature

8o BEASTS AND MEN

at 50° below zero it was impossible to keep warm even with
blankets and furs. Often he had to go without a fire, owing
to the difficulty of collecting fuel. The fuel generally used
in the country is dried cattle- or horse-dung, which, when
rubbed into powder in the hands, can easily be ignited with
steel and tinder. The wind soon fans the spark into a flame ;
or, if there is no wind, the Mongolian will sit on his haunches
and blow patiently away until there is a good fire. But the
amount of dung available was often insufficient to meet the
demands of the travellers.

Of food, on the other hand, they had no lack, though little
variety could be obtained. For four months mutton was almost
the only food ; and with this they drank " Tsamba," a mixture
of tea, butter and salt, which is universally esteemed through-
out Mongolia and Tibet. Tsamba is made as follows : Tea
is powdered in a wooden mortar, and is then poured with salt
and butter into boilino- water. The butter is obtained from
the milk of sheep or goats. This is well mixed, boiled milk
and salt are added ; and the whole is then boiled once more.
The beverage thus prepared is not so nasty but that one may
soon become accustomed to it. Not so easy is it, however, to
become accustomed to the Monoolian method of cleaning the
drinking bowl before the liquid is poured into it. All he
does is to spit into it, and then rub the bowl carefully round
with a greasy corner of his coat. Another native drink is
called Arka, and is prepared from the residue of milk that has
been evaporated.

The Mongolians, as may well be surmised, are not fastidious
in their choice of food. Indeed, they are prepared to eat any-
thing whatever that comes in their way, except what is for-
bidden by their religion. They consider it wasteful to
slaughter healthy cattle, when there are any weak or diseased
to be had ; and they have no qualms about eating an animal
which has died a natural death. The intestines, even, after
being drawn through the fingers to eject the contents, are
thrown into the cooking-pot with the rest.

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 83

The customs of the Mongolians are often curious and in-
teresting. They have no system of burial, but merely throw
out their dead on the steppes to be preyed upon by vultures,
crows, and dogs. They are still in the pastoral condition, no
agriculture being attempted. They are all mounted, and
carry old-fashioned guns. Both men and women wear trousers
of blue linen, and high boots, the soles of which are made of
many layers of linen cloth, reaching a thickness of almost an
inch. Tobacco is always in great demand among these
people ; and their rank may be approximately judged by the
quality of the pipe which they smoke. The tube of the pipe
is made of wood, and is quite straight, a foot or more in length.
The mouthpiece is adorned with an agate stone, the size and
value of which is an index of the wealth and prominence of
the possessor.

The district between Kobdo and Kara-Ussu is volcanic in
origin, and is a plateau covered by short grass, and dotted
with conical peaks. The valleys are often thickly wooded,
and give rise to very pleasant scenery.

The Mongolian is hospitable but not communicative. A
characteristic of their conversation is the constant repetition of
the phrases which they use. The following is the sort of con-
versation we used to carry on with them : —

Mongolian. " Mendi " (God be with you).

Traveller. "Mendi."

Mongolian. " Malzuruk mendi baina?" (Are all your
household well?).

Traveller. " Mendi baina."

Mongolian. "Tana del chabana?" (What are you doing
here?).

Traveller. " Manna chuduludu gores" (I have come to
buy wild animals).

The tents of the Mongolians are surrounded by very

fierce jackal-like dogs ; but as soon as the owner sees a

stranger approaching, he drives them off, and makes the

visitor welcome. The traveller's horse he secures by knee-

6*

84 BEASTS AND MEN

haltering, and then drives out to pasture. At whatever
hour of day or night he may arrive, the housewife (or should
we say tentwife ?) does all that can be done, in the preparation
of food and a couch, to make him comfortable.

At last spring- came upon the land ; the snow melted,
and the rivers ran free once more. Grieger soon discovered
that the Zedzik-Noor was simply full of trout, of a large and
palatable kind. So thick were they in the stream that they
could be taken out by pulling a large vessel through the
water ; and one afternoon's catch exceeded a hundred fish.
These Grieger tried to cook by smoking over a fire ; but the
first attempt was a failure, for the bodies fell into the fire, only
the heads remaining suspended from the hooks. But neces-
sity is the mother of invention ; and Grieger soon hit upon a
method of cooking them.

These operations were watched by the natives with horror
and disgust ; for they class fish with snakes, and regard it as
an unclean food. This, no doubt, was the cause of the ex-
traordinary abundance of trout in the river when Grieger
arrived. If the Mongolians shunned fish, they made up for
it by their eagerness to obtain meat, and Grieger s tent was
surrounded by idlers and beggars on the look-out for pickings.
To disperse these, who constituted a considerable nuisance,
Grieger hit upon a very original plan. He took a piece of
meat, and covered it thickly with pepper, an article of food
unknown to the nomads. He then handed it out to them ;
and as soon as they began to eat it, such a spluttering and
sneezing took place that they hastily fled and did not trouble
him again. Sausages he made of lungs and livers, but these,
for some reason, the natives would not touch. Occasionally
hunting brought in supplies. The great wild sheep, the argali,
were an especial delicacy, the ten-year-old rams in particular.
Now and again onions were found. In the Kobdo valleys,
Grieger obtained a large collection of birds, including one
species of pheasant, hitherto unknown. Birds, known to the
natives as mountain- or rock-hens, were chased by the native

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT

85

sportsmen, who ascertained their whereabouts by watching
for the ravens which would soar above them in the sky.
Grieger's shooting-parties sometimes disclosed an unexpected
spirit of compassion in the natives. On one occasion, for
instance, as he was passing some Mongolian huts, with his
gun over his shoulder, one of the occupants came out, and
besouo-ht him not to shoot hen-birds, as it was the breeding
season. This anxiety arose, not from the sportsman's motive

The river Kobdo.

of keeping up the stock (for the Mongols themselves do not
eat these game birds), but from a genuine pity for the hen-
bird with her young.

During these minor diversions the main object of the
expedition was kept constantly in mind. Grieger carefully
cultivated the friendship of the chiefs ; and through their
means a hunting-party was gradually got together. The
aborigines were wholly new to the idea of hunting animals
for the purpose of capturing them alive. Their expeditions

86 BEASTS AND MEN

were undertaken solely in order to kill game for food ; and in
all the proceedings which were taken they had to be instructed
beforehand by the leader. Since only young animals were
wanted, watch had to be kept to ascertain when they had
become fairly independent of their dams ; and it was found
that the proper time for starting the hunt was during the
first half of May.

Observation showed that there were no less than three
varieties of the wild horse in the neighbourhood, closely
resemblinof one another in form but showing differences of
colour. They all have wavy hair over the body and legs, and
blackish eyes, while in the foals the colour is variable. The
wild horse wanders about in herds of twelve to fifteen ; but
even in this district it is not very numerous.

As compared with the prolonged preparations which
were necessary, the actual catching presented but little
difficulty. The method employed was that which has al-
ready been mentioned as being the usual method, when
vouncr animals onlv are to be causfht. It is a habit of the
creatures to rest for some hours during the daytime in the
vicinity of the drinking-place. The Mongolians were in-
structed to seize this opportunity of stalking them with their
own horses. Then at a given signal the whole company break
into shouts and yells ; and mounting their horses dash upon
the herd. The latter spring up in alarm and gallop off into the
steppes, leaving behind them nothing but a cloud of dust.
The Mongolians give chase, and after a time brown specks
are seen at intervals in the dust-cloud. As the chase con-
tinues the specks become larger and turn out to be the foals,
which are unable to keep up with the older members of the
herd. When at last the foals are quite worn out, they stand
still, their nostrils swelling and their flanks heaving with
exhaustion and terror. All the pursuers have then to do
is to slip over their necks a noose attached to the end of a
long pole, and conduct them back to camp. Here there
are in readiness a number of tame mares with suckinof

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT

87

foals, which are requisitioned as wet-nurses for the new
arrivals. In three or four days the foster-parents and their
young become quite friendly.

So easy did the Mongolians find this horse-hunting, when
once they had been shown the way, that they went out to do
some catching on their own account ; and before long no less
than thirty foals were secured in the camp. This placed
Grieger in some difficulty. The order, which he had come
to execute, was only for six. Ought he, then, to incur the
additional expense of bringing home thirty? There was
nothing for it but to telegraph home to find out. His journey
to the nearest telegraph office and back took him over more
than a thousand miles of country, and involved him in an
absence of three weeks from the camp. When he arrived
back, armed with permission
to bring the lot, he found that
the industrious Mongolians
had increased the number to
fifty-two. With these the
long journey home was com-
menced, the party consisting
not only of the wild foals, but
also of their foster-parents,
the animals carrying the tra-
vellers and their baggage,
and thirty native recruits.
Slowly the caravan wound its
way over hill and dale, in
rain and sunshine, in heat
and cold. Anxiety for the
safety of the captives was
never absent. Many of them,
as was inevitable, died on the
journey, in spite of all the
care that could be exercised,
was decidedly eventful.

V^'ild horses.

And in other ways the journey

88 BEASTS AND MEN

Before many days were passed the first incident occurred,
namely, the escape of the camels, owing to the carelessness
of the attendants ; and it was only with great trouble that
their recapture could be effected. The attendants turned
out to be a bad set ; for after a few weeks Grieger noticed
that they were becoming discontented. At last a deputation
approached him and announced the intention of the entire
company to throw up the work and abandon the caravan,
saying that the way was too long, the journey too difficult.

9

*,#• m

i

A herd of yaks.

and making many other similar excuses. The money, paid
them in advance, they would as conscientious men return.
In vain did the traveller use all the arts of persuasion to in-
duce the people to remain. In vain did he point out to them
that the caravan would be totally lost if they were to desert
him at this moment. At last the leaders of the mutiny pro-
fessed themselves ready to remain, if a rise in salary were
granted them. As soon as Grieger discovered that the whole
affair was merely a vulgar attempt at extortion, he changed
his tactics. Seizing his Kirghise whip, he promptly proceeded
to distribute the augmentation of salary asked for, but in

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 89

heavy blows instead of coin ! This treatment was immedi-
ately successful, the mutiny calmed down, the ringleaders
begged for pardon ; and before long the caravan was jogging
merrily along again, without the desertion of a single man.
In all, the transportation to Hamburg took eleven months.
Out of the fifty-two wild horses which had started, twenty-
eight arrived safely at their journey's end, where they were
henceforth placed upon a diet of hulled oats, warm bran and
carrots. Thus ends the story of how wild horses first came
to Northern Europe.

Of all the countries traversed by the animal dealer, none
present such great difficulties as the vast plains and forests
of Siberia. The problem has still to be solved as to the
proper way of transporting wild sheep, ibex, roe, pheasants,
tigers, wild asses and other dwellers in this region to civil-
ised countries. The distances which have to be traversed
are immense ; and as a rule there are no roads at all to travel
on. Food for men and animals has to be carried by the party,
for it often cannot be obtained by the way ; and half the
animals usually die in transit. A few years ago I equipped
another expedition, and sent it out to this Kobdo country, to
obtain some young specimens of the argali or giant wild
sheep. This I hoped to cross with the larger kinds of our
domesticated sheep, so as to obtain a breed of giant domestic
sheep which might be serviceable to farmers. The expedition
was unsuccessful ; and another which I sent out soon after fared
no better. More than sixty of the animals were captured, but
lived only a short time. In the course of the journey home
every one of them died from diarrhoea. These two fruitless
expeditions cost no less than ^5,000.

Of all the animals which the dealer endeavours to catch,
perhaps none are so easy or less dangerous than snakes. In
fact, snake-huntinor miorht be better described as collectino-
than hunting. In the great marshes of India, the so-called
Sundarbans, snakes are sought out during the cool season in the

90

BEASTS AND MEN

early mornings by the natives, who are well acquainted with the
haunts of the reptiles. Before dawn they are so benumbed
with cold that they can easily be caught. This is done either
by means of a net at the end of a long pole, or by a long forked
stick, by which they can be fixed round the neck and pressed
to the ground. In this position it is not difficult to make them
secure. During the dry season another method is employed.

Argali (wild sheep).

Nets are laid out round a selected spot, which is then set on
fire. The snakes, in their hurry to escape, become entangled
in the nets ; but this method can only be used for the large
reptiles, as the smaller kinds would easily pass through the
mesh. In snakes supplied to me from Calcutta I have often
noticed marks of burnino-. But on these animals wounds

o

soon heal up.

The great python of Borneo [Python 7xtic2ilatus) is caught
by the natives when it is torpid from the effects of a heavy

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT

91

meal. It is then entangled in a large net thrown over it,
and safely lodged in a bamboo basket. For longer journeys,
they are placed in large four-cornered boxes with holes bored
for the admission of air.

The most remarkable way of finding snakes is that re-
sorted to by the snake-finders of India, who discover them by
the smell. They go in the early morning, when the creatures
are torpid, taking with them their baskets and ropes, and
proceed to smell out their quarry, which are thereupon dug
out of their holes and secured. Many large species, including
the python, are caught in this fashion.

In old times snake-charmers went everywhere, showing
off in every circus or menagerie in Europe and America.
At that time the snake trade was very lucrative, and I used
to import them by the gross. Once I received as many as
276 specimens in a single day, all belonging to the one
species Python bivitatus, which sold largely in America.
Snake-charmers now belong to the past, and there is little
money to be made in the trade.

It is a far cry

from the sweltering
plains of India to the
cold northern seas,
but I hope I may be
allowed to take this
jump and describe the
methods of capturing
the common seal and
other kinds of pinni-
peds. The work is
comparatively simple.
Advantage is taken
of the fact that seals
come out of the water
by night to sleep on ^^^-''^"^ '" p^^"'

the sand-banks. Under cover of darkness the hunters creep

w^

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w:;^

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•'''■ w—eas.J*'"'

■' '1^-:^ -^rC-—

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^*-^ --■-*'«•■■

i^S

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^^^^T^^B^H

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ilE

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w^^^^^

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92 BEASTS AND mEN a. e:

cautiously up to the sleeping-ground, ^and set long nets along
one side of it. While this is being done a second party of men
go round in boats to the other side of the sand-bank, and there
await the signal that all is ready. As soon as the signal is
given, this second party make for the sleeping seals with loud
shouts and gesticulations. The terrified animals rush precipi-
tately towards the sea and soon become entangled in the nets.
Without delay net bags are thrown over the young individuals
to prevent their escaping. These creatures have very sharp
teeth, and it is advisable for the hunters to wear stout
Wellington boots when engaged in this occupation. I have
known as many as thirty caught in this way in a single drive.
Twenty of these were adults and soon died, but the rest were
young and thrived well in captivity.

Not the easiest part of the business is the transport of the
animals to Europe in the sealing ships. The young seals are
kept in great water tanks, and it is sometimes difficult to get
them out when they have to be disembarked. Seals have to
come to the surface of the water every few minutes for the
purpose of breathing, and one of these intervals is chosen as
an opportune moment to catch it either in a large landing net
or with a noose. As so often happens among wild animals,
the older individuals are very morose and unmanageable.
They think of nothing but regaining their liberty, and cannot
be persuaded to take any food. The young, on the contrary,
seem quite happy in their new surroundings and soon learn
all kinds of tricks.

To my mind there is no nobler kind of game than the
eland antelope. Specimens of this animal first came into my
possession in a very curious manner, through the agency of
Dr. Carl Peters, the famous traveller. After a long day's
march under a burning African sun he arrived at the farm of
a Boer in Rhodesia. In the course of the evening they fell
to talking about the ravages which the tsetse-fiy and the
rinderpest wrought among the cattle. Dr. Peters had often

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 93

before been struck by the great difficulties to which the lack
of draught animals subjected the farmers. His present host
had adopted a novel method of making good the deficiency.
Seeing that domestic animals were impracticable, he proposed
to catch the indigenous wild animals of the veldt and convert
them into beasts of burden. Now the wild game of Rhodesia,
though sadly diminished in numbers in the last fifty years, is
still fairly abundant. If the herds are no longer to be num-
bered in thousands, they may still be numbered in hundreds.
Kudu, hartebeest, wildebeest, ostriches and eland antelopes
are all plentifully distributed throughout the country ; and the
Boer had selected the antelopes for breaking in as draught-
animals. As Dr. Peters showed interest in his scheme, he
took him to a neiorhbouring' enclosure where half a dozen fine
elands were confined. He explained to Dr. Peters that he
hoped to be able to use them not only for ploughing, but also
as carriage horses. The traveller asked him at what price he
would value these antelopes when their training had been con-
cluded. The Boer named a figure which, though certainly
none too small, appeared to afford Peters some amusement.
The latter produced from his pocket an English illustrated
magazine with which he had beguiled the weary evenings for
some days previously, and showed the Boer a number of pic-
tures of Carl Hagenbeck's Institute at Hamburg. "This
man," said he, "will give more for the animals than they
are worth to you ; why not sell them to him ? " The Boer
adopted the suggestion on the spot and I suddenly received
a telegram: " Have sixteen eland antelopes. Offer them you
so many thousand marks. Wire decision and take over in
Rhodesia within six weeks." I closed with the offer at once,
and sent my traveller Johannsen to Rhodesia to fetch them
home. Long delays often occur before animals can be trans-
ported to their destination, but in the course of nine months
he brought home not only the sixteen eland antelopes which
I purchased from the Boer, but a number of others which he
succeeded in catching by a device which he learnt from the

94 BEASTS AND MEN

Boers and negroes in the neighbourhood. This device is, I
think, sufficiently interesting to be worth recording. The pre-
liminary operations are similar to those by which the Mongolian
wild horses are captured. When a herd of elands has been
found, about thirty mounted hunters surround them, and, steal-
ing cautiously up, suddenly burst upon them from all sides. It
would be a hopeless task to try to catch the adults, for an eland
bull weighs over a ton and is much more powerful and fleet
than any horse. They break into a furious gallop and soon
vanish out of sight. But the young, with their ungainly stilt-
like legs, are soon overtaken ; the hunter rides up to them and
secures them by catching hold of their tails — a manoeuvre
which is often not very easy to carry out while on the gallop.
In order that the animal may be kept alive, when caught,
various precautions have to be taken. The hindlegs are
tethered, and the body is carefully wrapt up in a warm rug.
In the complete exhaustion which follows its flight for life, it
is particularly necessary to guard it from the dangerous effects
of a change of temperature. But another precaution has to
be taken, much more remarkable. When the eland is com-
fortably wrapt up in the rug it receives a subcutaneous in-
jection of some liquid the constitution of which my travellers
have unfortunately not been able to discover. Probably it is
morphia or something of the sort, for a few minutes after the
injection a stupefied condition supervenes and the antelope
quickly falls into a deep sleep. Without this injection the
creature would scarcely live a quarter of an hour ; before
this method of treating them was hit upon, they used to die
from heart strain. When it has gone to sleep, it is carried
back to the camp and laid in a secluded place, where it re-
mains in a deep sleep for nearly twenty-four hours. On its
awakening it is led to a milch-cow which has been previously
secured, and it is trained to regard the cow as its foster-
mother. The cow's legs have first to be tied, for she soon real-
ises that it is not her own calf but a new arrival from the veldt.
After a few days the foster-parent and child come to know

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT

95

each other. In the present instance a delay of some months
was necessary before my traveller considered the young ante-
lopes strong enough to undergo the arduous journey to the
coast. Johannsen occupied himself in the meanwhile in carry-
ing out hunting expeditions in all directions and thus securing
some valuable additions to my collection. In the accompany-
ing photograph the elands may be seen on their way down

Transport from the interior of Africa with eland antelopes.

to the coast harnessed to a buggy with a team of oxen, mules,
and zebras.

I may suitably terminate this chapter by stating my
opinion that science is in all probability still incompletely
acquainted even with the larger members of the world's
fauna. My travellers explore the most remote parts of every
continent, and it is therefore natural that they should often
bring back information which is of great interest to zoologists.
They often hear stories from the natives concerning strange
animals which, from the descriptions given, would appear to
be unknown to Europeans. It might be supposed that these
are mere cock-and-bull stories, either exaggerated descriptions

96 BEASTS AND MEN

of well-known animals, or else intentional fabrications. But
such is not usually the case. Much more often, the informa-
tion given by the natives will lead to the discovery of new
species, if the instructions of the savages be properly carried
out. For instance, the case of the discovery of the remains
of the giant sloth in South America is famous, and all my
readers will remember the excitement which was caused when
the existence of the okapi was made known. Native reports
are more reliable than is commonly supposed.

Some years ago I received reports from two quite distinct
sources of the existence of an immense and wholly unknown
animal, said to inhabit the interior of Rhodesia. Almost iden-
tical stories reached me, firstly, through one of my own
travellers, and, secondly, through an English gentleman, who
had been shooting big-game in Central Africa. The reports
were thus quite independent of each other, and, as a matter
of fact, the Englishman and my traveller had made their way
into Rhodesia from opposite directions, the one from the north-
east and the other from the south-west. The natives, it
seemed, had told both my informants that in the depth of the
great swamps there dwelt a huge monster, half elephant, half
dragon. This, however, is not the only evidence for the ex-
istence of the animal. It is now several decades ago since
Menges, who is of course perfectly reliable, heard a precisely
similar story from the negroes ; and, still more remarkable, on
the walls of certain caverns in Central Africa there are to be
found actual drawings of this strange creature. From what
I have heard of the animal, it seems to me that it can only
be some kind of dinosaur, seemingly akin to the brontosaurus.
As the stories come from so many different sources, and all
tend to substantiate each other, I am almost convinced that
some such reptile must be still in existence. At great ex-
pense, therefore, I sent out an expedition to find the monster,
but unfortunately they were compelled to return home with-
out having proved anything, either one way or the other. In
the part of Africa where the animal is said to exist, there are

HOW WILD ANIMALS ARE CAUGHT 97

enormous swamps, hundreds of square miles in extent, and
my travellers were laid low with very severe attacks of fever.
Moreover, that region is infested by bloodthirsty savages who
repeatedly attacked the expedition and hindered its advance.
Notwithstanding this failure, I have not relinquished the hope
of being able to present science with indisputable evidence of
the existence of the monster. And perhaps if I succeed in
this enterprise naturalists all the world over will be roused to
hunt vigorously for other unknown animals ; for if this pro-
digious dinosaur, which is supposed to have been extinct for
hundreds of thousands of years, be still in existence, what
other wonders may not be brought to light ?

CHAPTER IV.

CARNIVORES IN CAPTIVITY.

Seeing how intimately I have always been associated with
wild animals, it is a remarkable circumstance that I should
never have met with any severe accident. That I have
escaped the jaws of the tiger, the crushing feet of the elephant,
the horns of the buffalo, the cruel coils of the serpent, is no
doubt partly due to the prudence and care which I always
observe in dealing with these creatures ; but I am bound to
add that wild animals are not nearly so savage as is commonly
imagined. On the contrary they are often most affectionate,
and I have had many friends among lions, tigers and pan-
thers, which were no harder to handle than pet dogs. More-
over their affection is very enduring, and survives long after
they have found another home.

The following is a remarkable instance of the memory of
carnivores for people who have won their confidence. Forty
years ago or more I bought a pair of young tigers, one of
which caught a bad cold, which produced in him an affection
of the eyes from which he became blind. For months I
nursed him with the utmost care, going every day to his cage
to make him as comfortable as possible, so that a very in-
timate relationship between us grew up. At length my de-
votion was rewarded and he corhpletely recovered. Later on,
he and his mate were sold to Professor Peters of the Berlin
Zoological Gardens, and here the pair lived for many years ;
but to the day of his death the tiger whom I cured retained
a most faithful attachment to me. Often I did not see him

for long periods together, but, notwithstanding this, he would

98

c

SB

7*

13 :>

CARNIVORES IN CAPTIVITY loi

always fall into the most violent excitement on hearing my
voice in the distance ; and when I came up he would purr
like a cat, and was never satisfied till I had gone into the cage
and spent some little time with him. Often on these occasions
have the public stood round in astonishment at the spectacle
of this strange meeting. In memory of this tiger I had a
water-colour painted for me by the animal painter Leutemann,
which is still in my possession.

My animal friends are scattered about in many parts of the
world, carefully guarded behind bolts and bars. Their life
is not so long as ours ; old age and death come very quickly
upon them ; and hence most of my friendships are things of
the past. One of my oldest friends is a lion now resident in
the Zooloofical Gardens at Cologne. This lion came from
North Africa, and was one of a pair purchased by me when
five years old from a Belgium menagerie in 1890. They
were exceedingly handsome and perfectly tame, so that,
although I only had them for two months, that period was
sufficient for a lifelong friendship to grow up. I spent a con-
siderable time with the animals every day and was very
sorry when at last they had to go. One went to the Zoologi-
cal Gardens at Hamburor and the other to Coloo-ne. The
one that stayed in Hamburg died several years ago, but the
other is still alive, and, though now old and infirm, he still re-
members me. Once when I was travelling in a train to
Cologne I made a bet that he would recognise me without
seeing me, if I merely shouted to him from some distance off.
And I proved to be right ; for as soon as he heard the sound
of my voice, the old lion came up to the bars and would not
rest until I had greeted and stroked him.

I once made a similar experiment in the Zoological Gardens
at Bronx Park in New York. There lived there two lions
and a tiger with whom I had once been well acquainted but
whom I had not seen for a long time past. The director. Dr.
Hornaday, did not believe that the animals would recognise me ;
but he was wrong. No sooner had I entered the door and

I02 BEASTS AND MEN

approached the den, than the creatures became attentive and
stared at me like a human being who saw a familiar face but
could not put a name to it. But the moment that I called out
the names by which I used to address them in Hamburg
they sprang up and ran to the bars, purring loudly while I
stroked and caressed them. There could scarcely be more
convincinof evidence of the excellent memories which carni-
vores possess or of the fidelity which they show to
friends.

It is not necessary to go as far as New York to find evi-
dence of this fidelity, as it can be seen any day in my animal
park at Stellingen. Here any sceptic may convince himself
that the wild beasts know and love their master. They
crouch down by the bars, lick my hands, and are delighted
when I stroke them. I am fond of all animals, but carnivores
are my special favourites. So attached to them do I become
that, in spite of their costly upkeep, I often keep them with me
for a longer time than is desirable from the strictly business
point of view.

In the open carnivore gorge at Stellingen there is on
view an old lion who has been in my possession for eighteen
years. His name of "Trieste" was given him many years
ago when he was imported through the port of that name.
Trieste is a great Somali lion, very handsome when he was
young, and even now thoroughly majestic in his carriage.
Being by trade a performer, he has covered in his pro-
fessional travels a considerable portion of the earth's surface.
The exhibition at Chicago in 1893 ^^d that at St. Louis
in 1904 were both honoured by the presence of Trieste as a
guest. Now that his life's work is over, he is in much better
circumstances than many human performers who have grown
old in their profession. And Trieste is worthy of his good
fortune. He is as tame, true and faithful as a dog; indeed
I often treat him as if he were a dog. One day last summer
I noticed with sorrow that my old friend was lame, and upon
further observation I found that he was suffering pain.

CARNIVORES IN CAPTIVITY

103

After a close examination I found that on each of the
animal's hind feet two claws had grown into the flesh. Now
it may well be supposed that the necessary operation would
be a matter of great difficulty — the animal firmly bound and
the operators going in danger of their lives. But nothing
can be farther from the truth. In such matters Trieste can
be treated as though he were a sensible human beinor. Hav-
ing been ordered to lie down, his claws were clipped with
large sharp clippers, and the points were drawn out. During

Having a bath.

the whole procedure, which was by no means painless, the
lion kept perfectly still. For several days the wounds were
well washed out ; they soon healed, and he is now once
again well and happy.

As a corresponding instance of tameness among tigers, I
may mention a great Siberian tiger, which in the summer
of 1893 was sold from Vladivostock to the Zoological Gardens
in Hamburg, and thence came into my possession. This
animal was really as tame as any household pet. I could do
anything with him, and used even to take him with me into my

I04 BEASTS AND MEN

sittincr-room. He was, moreover, a beautiful creature, and as
I was very loth to part with him, he remained over a year
in my care. As I ascertained later, the animal had been
brought up quite young at Vladivostock, and I have it on
certain authority that he ran about free for more than a year,
without ever causing any mischief. Every morning, when I
went my rounds, I visited my favourite and caressed him. If
I happened to pass his cage in haste without noticing him,
he would attract my attention with a mewing sound, to re-
mind me that I had not spoken to him.

I fear that much of what I now write will be received by
many with incredulity, for in the popular estimation carni-
vores conjure up a vision of all that is faithless, savage, and
cruel. But it is certainly a mistake to call them cruel. It is
their nature in the wild state to hunt living prey, and they
have to kill in order to live. We are too prone to forget
how many millions of animals are hunted and slaughtered,
both by land and sea, to provide food for human beings ;
and it is as reasonable to accuse mankind of cruelty on this
score, as it is to accuse carnivores. Carnivores love their
young just as we do, and can also be affectionate and faithful.
Of course one often comes across black sheep, but that is due
either to their having been caught when adult, or to their
being the victims of bad rearing.

All carnivores without exception, when they are caught
young and are properly treated, are capable of being brought
up as domestic pets. Their so-called wild nature does not
break out unless something happens to put the animals in a
rage ; and this, after all, is just the same with domestic
animals. As to what can be achieved in the way of taming
wild animals, I have certainly had more experience than any
other human being. Both intelligence and love of animals
are essential to success in taming. Then it is quickly dis-
covered that among animals, as among men, good and bad
are mixed, and that, while the good will develop of itself, the
bad can be suppressed. I shall shortly give some evidence,

CARNIVORES IN CAPTIVITY 105

too, of the intensity of feeling which prevails among wild
animals.

The management of carnivores which have been captured
in the adult condition is, of course, very difficult, and it is quite
impossible to train such animals to the extent that is now con-
sidered quite ordinary in the case of young animals. To deny
this is simply nonsense. Nothing more than a superficial
polish can be imparted to animals which are grown up when
caught.

About fifteen years ago I obtained from Calcutta the most
savage, as also the largest and heaviest, Bengal tiger that I
have ever come across. I received him from the Zoological
Gardens in Calcutta, only a few months after he had been
captured. During his first few days in Hamburg he was in a
furious rage ; whenever I approached his cage he would fly
to the bars and stretch his paws through in his savage
attempts to seize me. I naturally did not relish this sort
of thing, and kept at a respectful distance. However, I paid
the animal a visit every day and showed him that his efforts
to harm me were quite fruitless ; as soon as I approached him
I made a purring noise, addressing him, as it were, in his own
language. As time wore on the animal became quieter. To
be sure, as soon as I appeared he still sprang angrily against
the bars of his cage, but he no longer struck at me with his
paws. After a week I began to take him a piece of meat
every day, for the way to the heart lies through the stomach
— a proverb which applies not only among the lower ani-
mals. After four weeks I could just venture to touch the great
beast ; I had to keep my eyes open, however, for now and
again during these experiments he would lash out at me with
his claws. I kept this tiger for about three months, by the
end of which time he had realised that nobody wished to
hurt him. When he saw me he would come quietly to the
bars and allow me to stroke him. I had succeeded in curing
him of his ferocity, and moreover, after he left me, he does not
seem to have relapsed, for in the Dresden Zoological Gardens

io6 BEASTS AND MEN

— whither he went — he allowed both the director of the
Gardens and his own attendant to stroke him.

I remember, however, an even more remarkable case. In
the summer of 1905 my brother, John Hagenbeck of Colombo,
sent me a panther which had been in captivity only a short
time. I gave this panther to the Swiss sculptor, Urs Eggen-
schwyler, who designed the beautiful rocky cliffs in the
Stellingen Gardens. Eggenschwyler, who is unusually fond
of animals, and who keeps for his pleasure a number of lions
and panthers, was delighted with my present, and commenced
at once to train the animal. In less than a fortnight, he had
so far succeeded that it would turn round and round in its
cage when he commanded it to do so. The artist had pre-
viously taught this trick in Zurich to a number of other ani-
mals which had been captured adult, and on the present
occasion he was so successful that in less than four weeks the
panther could be made to revolve as many as eight times in
succession. The animal's obedience was, of course, rewarded
with a piece of meat.

Perhaps after what I have said my readers may think that
after all there is nothing very alarming about the great carni-
vores— that they are, in fact, not much more than a kind of
meat-eating lamb. In my chapter on the training of wild
animals I shall show that the training is by no means so
simple as it sounds. Of its danger there can be no question,
but nevertheless it is the case that many of those who deal
with the carnivores professionally owe their lives to the good
temper of the animals.

In this connection I remember an extraordinary nocturnal
adventure, which would, I imagine, have alarmed the bravest
of us. In the beginning of the sixties I was bringing from
Coloone to Hamburg- a hupe collection of animals, which I
had obtained in France and Belgium. Among the animals
there was a four-year-old lion, which I had obtained from the
Zoological Gardens in Cologne, then quite recently established.
The lion was placed in a great kennel and, along with all the

CARNIVORES IN CAPTIVITY 109

other animals, was installed in the railway van. A man
named Druard, who was inspector of the Zoological Gardens,
and had previously held the position of head-keeper in
Christian Berg's menagerie, was in charge of the animals
during the journey. Everything having been satisfactorily
arranged, Druard closed the door of the van, and made him-
self thoroughly comfortable.

The train rumbled on through the nioht and the un-
suspecting keeper dosed peacefully, perchance enjoying some
sweet dream. Suddenly, in the midst of his slumbers, he felt
a great weight upon his chest, and awoke with a start. In
the darkness, not a yard from him, there shone two greenish
lights, and he felt hot fetid breath on his face. Overcome
with terror he peered into the gloom and could just discern
the shaggy outline of a lion's mane. For a second he lay
quite still, hoping that it was only a nightmare — vain hope,
however ; the lion had escaped from his cage, and was amus-
ing himself by paying a visit to the solitary sleeper. Druard
was accustomed to dealing with animals, and he knew that
this lion was a good-tempered one. So he decided at once
that the best thing to do was somehow or other to tie the
animal up. For the rest, he must share the place with the
lion until the next station, and make the best of his awkward
situation. Luckily no trouble broke out between the lion and
the other animals. Had it done so, the man would never have
lived to tell the tale. Druard quietly untied a sash which he
wore round his body, and placed it like a cord round the lion's
neck. Then, groping his way through the dark and jolting
van, he succeeded in fastening the other end of the sash to
the handle of the door. At the next station he sounded the
alarm, lights were brought, and the lion was led back to his
cage — a stronger box being provided for him before the
journey was continued. Thus ended a bloodless adventure,
which nearly cost a careless man his life.

The occasions on which human beings are attacked by
captive carnivores are fortunately rare. But quarrels be-

no BEASTS AND MEN

tween the beasts themselves are more frequent, unless they
are carefully watched and separated from each other when
necessary. And among the lower animals, as with ourselves,
the trouble usually arises over the gentler sex. In a troupe
which Heinrich Mehrmann exhibited in Chicago, Berlin, and
elsewhere, there was a fine lion called "Leo" and a great
Bengal tieer called "Castor". The lion was a bachelor,
while the tieer was mated to a beautiful Benofal tig"ress. As ill-
luck would have it, when the breeding time arrived the tigress
proved an irresistible attraction to the lion. The tiger, natur-
ally irritable, and perhaps not unreasonably jealous, regarded
the lion's proceedings with disapproval, and the relations be-
tween the two rivals became strained. The tiger was as
jealous as a Turk ; the lion as determined as the consciousness
of his own strength could make him ; the tigress was prepared
impartially to receive the attentions of either. One morning,
as I was walking in my Zoological Garden at Neuer Pferde-
markt, I heard a terrific roaring which proceeded from the
direction of the great open-air cage. I immediately hurried
to the spot. Sure enough, a bloody duel was taking place
between the lion and the tiger. Both were standing on their
hindlegs and were giving each other such mighty boxes on
the ears that their hair was already scattered about. The
siofht of the two i/reat animals standing in battle array, and on
the point of rushing- into a life-and-death struggle, I shall never
forget. They were, however, much too valuable for this love
intrio-ue to be allowed to end with the death of either of them.
The keeper of this division, who happened to be near, sprang
into the little front cage and from thence into the big cage
where the animals were, and succeeded in separating the com-
batants by shouting and cracking his whip. Many tufts of
hair and pools of blood were left to show where the fight had
been.

All carnivores, but especially lions and tigers, are ex-
tremely ill-tempered at breeding times. In trained troupes,
where both lions and lionesses are necessary, it is frequently

CARNIVORES IN CAPTIVITY iic

essential to remove the males from the troupe altogether dur-
ing" certain periods. Where the trainer omits to do this, he
runs great risk of trouble, and he himself may be mauled.
Even with my best four-footed friends, I have found that
during these periods they are apt to be surly and quite in-
tractable. The ardour of these animals is boilingf hot, and
their jealousy of any possible rival is even greater than their
tenderness towards the object of their affection. It is very
remarkable, too, that a love-sick lion is not only jealous of his
own kind, but also of any human being — -the keeper not ex-
cepted— -who may happen to approach his cage.

It is my experience that lions, if they are well taken care
of, will frequently live for more than thirty years. It happens
sometimes that animals come into my possession, which I
have previously known well, perhaps years before. For in-
stance, in a menagerie which I purchased a few years ago
there was a lioness that I had already possessed twenty
years earlier. It was of course difficult to find a purchaser
for her. At that time I had just supplied a lioness for breed-
ing purposes to the Zoological Gardens at Cologne, but
Director Funk, who at that time had. the management of the
institution, was not quite satisfied with the specimen. I
therefore invited him to come to Hamburg to choose another,
and in this way it came about that the old lioness was paid
a great compliment. She was very well preserved, was of
unusual beauty, and still possessed her full set of teeth.
Moreover, when I came up to her cage, accompanied by Mr.
Funk, she sprang to and fro vigorously in her delight at see-
ing me. Thus it happened that of all the lionesses, Mr.
Funk decided to choose this one. When I told him the
true state of affairs — which was, perhaps, ungallant to the
old lioness, but was honourable to the would-be purchaser —
he refused to believe me, and supposed that I was unwilling
to sell such a beautiful specimen. If I had allowed him to
take her, however, he would not have derived much satis-
faction from this brood-lioness, for according to my experience

112 BEASTS AND MEN

in the matter these animals are thoroughly fertile up to the
age of sixteen, but not after that time. The director, whose
error was very naturally caused by the youthful appearance
of the lioness, eventually took another specimen which has
proved highly satisfactory.

Lions may be considered sexually mature at the age of
two and a half years, but to obtain really strong offspring, it
is desirable to wait for another year. In the case of tigers,
according to my observations, sexual maturity arrives in cap-
tivity a year later than with lions. The capacity to reproduce
their kind endures with all the cat-tribe for about twelve
years, and expires therefore during the sixteenth or seven-
teenth year.

I had an experience in the breeding of jaguars about the
year 1870, when a Hungarian traveller brought from Para-
guay two pairs of large, full-grown jaguars. The jaguars,
which the Hungarian had captured himself, were already
well on in years. I should have much liked to possess these
animals, but I was compelled to refrain from the purchase,
as the price asked was too high for me ; they were bought
by the menagerie owner, Manders, who in those days had
the laro-est menagferie in Enofland, and he succeeded in ob-
taining several litters from the two pairs, the young cubs
being excellently brought up by their mothers.

Among many fortunate experiments, I succeeded in breed-
ing two beautiful little cubs from a pair of captured ounces
during the year 1906. The parents were cripples, each of
them lacking a hind foot, and it was in consequence difficult
to find a purchaser for them. I therefore arranged a nice
secret recess in their cage, and placed the cage so that the ani-
mals could not be disturbed. Barely two months later, signs of
mutual affection between the two animals were to be observed,
and in the middle of May my keeper informed me that a
couple of young ones had been born. Naturally, after this
occurrence great care was taken to avoid disturbing the ounces
in any way ; they were fed and watered, and the cage was

3

CARNIVORES IN CAPTIVITY 115

cleaned in the afternoons, but with this exception the animals
were left absolutely in peace. After four days I removed for
a moment the lid, which closed the secret recess, and I then
saw the two pretty little cubs lying in a nest which the parents
had lined with hair from their winter fur. Four weeks later
the father of this litter was found dead in his cage, but the
mother and young are still living.

The lions and tigers in my animal-park are kept in the
carnivore glen, which is not surrounded by a barrier, but is
separated from the public by a deep trench only. They are
allowed out into the open air every day without exception dur-
ing both summer and winter. The weather troubles them very
little, and they range about in the open much more during
the winter than they do during the summer when it is hot.
Every morning the sliding door between the cage and the
glen is opened, so that the animals can go out ; they can,
however, always return to the inner den if they please.
Nature comes to the help of the animals and makes it possible
for them to adapt themselves to the climate. We have ob-
served that the exotic animals, which are not confined in
winter, grow a thick fur that protects them from the cold. I
am quite convinced that it is possible to transplant lions to
any climate whatever, provided they are allowed out into the
open during spring when they are young. I take it, that such
lions would eventually grow in winter a woolly covering
beneath their hair, exactly as is found to be the case with
Siberian tigers and panthers.

Interbreeding occurs between lions, tigers, and other
kinds of cats, even without the intervention of man, and it is
therefore not very difficult to carry out experiments in cross-
breeding. I have bred many young from lions and tigers ; of
such hybrids, I possess at the present time a male five and a
half years old, and another male and a female of three and a
half. The father was a small Somali lion and the mother a
small tigress, the offspring of the cross being, curiously enough,

considerably larger than their parents. The one male hybrid

8*

Ii6

BEASTS AND MEN

weighs as much alone as the two parents together. They are
powerful animals with strong heads, and are faindy striped.
When people see them for the first time they wonder whether
they are looking at lions or tigers. These queer creatures are
unusually tame, and of a very mild disposition. According
to our experiments thus far, they have unfortunately never
been found to be fertile.

^^1^

The youngest of the Hagenbeck family.

A cross between a panther and a puma was undertaken
at my suggestion in a certain small English menagerie. A
number of young ones were born, but they all died except
one, and there was nothing very noteworthy about the sur-
vivor. I have also heard of a cross between a tiger
and a female panther, but the young one was born pre-
maturely and had no vitality. I know of another similar case.
In a small German menagerie there was quite a happy
marriage between a lion and a female panther. The panther

" CARNIVORES IN CAPTIVITY 117

gave birth three times, but unfortunately she proved herself a
monster wholly lacking in maternal feelings, for she proceeded
to devour her own cubs. On one occasion the owner of the
menagerie succeeded in taking away the young from their
mother, but they did not live long, and he foolishly threw
them away instead of preserving them in spirit for scientific
purposes.

In the Zooloo^ical Gardens at Stuttgart, which are now
unfortunately closed, some very interesting hybrids were
bred by Herr Nill These were a cross between the brown
bear and the polar bear. A short time ago I saw some
more of these animals, which are in the Zoological Gardens
in London. They are large heavy creatures, but not larger
than their parents. One of them is a very curious fellow, a
piebald, his fur being half greyish-brown and half white.

The real difficulty in the treatment of captive carnivores
begins, as we shall see in the next chapter, when one attempts
to train them to perform ; for here one is endeavouring to
make the animals do what is contrary to all their natural
instincts. All the difficulties, however, can be overcome by
patience, by a careful study of the brute mind, and by a
recognition of the good qualities which are to be found in
every creature.

CHAPTER V.

TRAINING WILD ANIMALS.

There is probably no sphere in which the growth of humani-
tarian sentiment has been more strikino; than in the treat-
ment and training of performing animals. Obedience which
in former days was due to fear is now willingly paid by the
animal from motives of affection. The period when un-
fortunate animals were driven to jump over a bar from dread
of a whip or a red-hot iron- — a disgrace to the humanity of
man ! — is gone by. Sympathy with the animal, patience
with its deficiencies, has brought about a perfection of educa-
tion which cruelty altogether failed to secure. And at the
same time relations between trainer and beast have improved
too. The trainer is no longer a taskmaster, or the beast
a slave. There subsists between them the wholesome and
happy relation of teacher and pupil. The old crude method
of training — if these stupid barbarities deserved to be called
training ; torturing would have been a more appropriate
expression — consisted in terrifying the animals with whips
and red-hot irons, so that at the very sight of these imple-
ments they would fiy through the cage, and in doing so would
leap over whatever obstacle was placed in their path.

Many years ago I saw at an auction in England four
"trained" lions, whose whiskers had been scorched off and
who were frightfully burned about their mouths. Naturally,
when the animals were treated in this way, it was no un-
common thino" for the trainers to be attacked and torn to
pieces ; nor can one blame the lions and tigers which at last
turned round upon their tormentors, for their better natures

ii8

Indian juggler with dancing bear.

TRAINING WILD ANIMALS 121

had been completely destroyed. Their lives were rendered
insupportable, and they acted only in self-defence.

It is a complete mistake to suppose that carnivores are
vicious by nature ; they are susceptible to kindness and good
treatment, and will repay trust with trust.

In my younger days I had plenty of opportunities of ob-
serving these barbarous shows, not only in Germany but also
in England ; and from the beginning I felt a desire to institute
a more rational and humane method of training. Performances
with carnivores were first shown in Hamburg many years ago
by the trainer Batty. This daring man — for the trainer of
those days certainly carried on his profession in the face of
very real danger — worked, if I remember rightly, with six
lions. The exhibition consisted in terrifying the animals, and
then driving them around the cage so that they were com-
pelled from sheer fright to leap over barriers that were pushed
in from the outside. Finally Batty would stand near the exit,
fire several shots from a carbine, and then retire from the
scene. The surprising part of such a performance was that
the animals did not attack the trainer.

There were, of course, individuals among the trainers who
treated their animals as well as was possible under the brute-
force system then prevailing. One of these was a man named
Cooper. Cooper worked with a large troupe of lions, and
with such success, that the American circus-owner Myers
took over both the trainer and the lion troupe, into the
tent-circus, with which he made a tour through Germany and
Austria- Hungary. Cooper, an intelligent and experienced
man, was well aware of the fact that for the successful train-
ing of performing animals it is essential to discard at an early
stage from the troupe any animal which evinced lack of intel-
ligence, or ill-temper — a necessary step if an element of danger
and uncertainty is not to attach itself to the exhibition.

Whilst he was working with Myers, this animal-trainer
had a serious adventure with some lions which he had
procured from me. I received one day from Myers, an

122 BEASTS AND MEN

inquiry whether I could supply him with some lions. It
happened that I had just purchased a whole collection of
animals, among which were some lions that had always been
used for performing purposes. Cooper came himself to
Hamburg, inspected the animals, and, having completed the
purchase, took them with him immediately to Brussels. At
Brussels he made the grave mistake of putting all the lions,
old and new, together, instead of slowly and gradually allow-
ing the animals to become acquainted with each other. The
new lions had never worked with other specimens and were
strange to their surroundings. They became irritable and
nervous, and when Cooper tried to drive them with a whip
to the performance of the tricks, a catastrophe occurred. One
of the new lions, and that the best-tempered of them, fell upon
Cooper and mauled him savagely. Thus by a mutual mis-
understanding, a humane trainer was wounded by a perfectly
good-tempered lion, and the unfortunate man had to spend
some time in bed before his wounds were healed.

This event save rise to a somewhat ludicrous incident.
On the day after the accident I received a telegram from
Myers from Brussels, saying that he wished me to take back
one of my lions, as it was ill. When the telegram arrived,
although I still knew nothing about the accident, I did not
take the statement very seriously. I knew that the lion had
been in perfect health at the time of delivery, so if anything
had gone wrong since it must be due to an accident. I wired,
therefore, my refusal to take back a lion which had been de-
livered in good health and for which I had received payment.
Next day another telegram arrived which ran as follows :
" Your lion is dead : what shall I do with him ? " To this I
promptly replied : " Pickle him if you like".

A few weeks later, when I had nearly forgotten the whole
affair, a cask of pickled lion actually arrived in Hamburg for
me ! Probably the stupid fellow thought that by carrying out
the advice tendered to him in my ironical answer, he would be
putting himself in the right. Of course I immediately returned

TRAINING WILD ANIMALS 123

the official invoice to the station and refused to take delivery
of the cask. Myers next tried to bring an action against me,
but here too he failed, for when the lion's remains were ex-
amined it was proved that he died from ill usage. The skin
around the vital parts was covered with extravasated blood, and
all over the body there were marks of the terrible blows which
the animal had received at the hands of the people who had
rescued Cooper at the time of the accident.

The treatment which the animals received from the old
German animal trainers — such as Kreutzberg, Martin, Kallen-
berg, Preuscher, Schmidt, Dagersell, and Kaufmann, all of
whom travelled mainly in Germany and Austria — was on the
whole less cruel than that I have just been describing, for
they used to exhibit only such animals as had been tamed
from their earliest days and which were therefore much less
difficult to train. Some of these men used to give quite
interesting performances, although, as they exhibited in small
waggon-cages (contrasts indeed to the great arenas which are
now used) it was not really possible for them to accomplish
much.

A son of the old Kreutzberg introduced a new branch of
animal performance, which in barbarity it would be difficult
to surpass. When Karl Kreutzberg was travelling through
Spain with a troupe of seven lions, obtained from me, the
people wished him to show them a fight between a lion and
a bull. Kreutzberg was an enterprising fellow. He foresaw
the popularity of the proposed exhibition, and, immediately
falling in with the idea, set to work in an ingenious manner
to make the performance, brutal as it was, a success. Kreutz-
berg had hitherto been giving his performances in the oval
waoTCTon-caees, which were then greneral, and are still some-
times to be seen. For the lion and bull fight, however, he
had an especially large cage constructed, and devised a
clever plan for bringing the two beasts into collision. The
bull was led round and round the lion's cage. The lion,
maddened with huno-er — he had received no food — made

124 BEASTS AND MEN

furious attempts to seize his prey. Then the performance
itself commenced ; the bull was first led into the big cage, and
then, after a pause — during which the excitement of the
audience reached fever-heat — the lion was let loose. With
a roar the great cat hurled himself upon the bull and dragged
it to the ground ; for as a rule the bull makes but a poor de-
fence. The Spaniards and the Portuguese were delighted with
this bloody scene, the fame of which spread far and wide.
Kreutzberg made a great deal of money out of the show.

Other animal trainers have attempted, both in Spain and
in the south of France, to imitate this performance of Kreutz-
berg's, but without success. They did not go to work with
the same ingenuity as Kreutzberg. Instead of exhibiting the
fight in a cage, they usually employed a large arena for the
purpose. Now when a lion or tiger is let out of his small
cao-e into a larsfe arena, he becomes nervous and embarrassed,
and in his bewilderment quite forgets his hunger. On three
occasions I have supplied lions for these fights. In two cases
the lion paid no attention to the bull, and the bull took no
notice of the lion ; neither wished to come to closer quarters
with the other. On the third occasion, however, the upshot
of the performance was more exciting. The bull charged
the lion and wounded him so severely that the king of beasts,
after lingering miserably for several weeks, passed away to
the shadowy hunting grounds of his fathers.

But these barbarous methods of training animals are now
no longer in vogue ; they have become obsolete for this
reason if for no other : that it is impossible to achieve by ill-
treatment one-hundredth part of what can be done by
humane and intelligent methods. With the lower animals,
as with human beings, real insight into their character can
only be obtained by treating them sympathetically. This
essential fact, which is now understood by all successful
animal trainers, ought in no way to surprise us, for the
brute intelligence differs from the human in degree only, not
in kind. Animals soon perceive whether they are being

TRAINING WILD ANIMALS 125

treated sympathetically or otherwise, and quickly attach
themselves to those who use them with kindness and con-
sideration. Their memories, too, are usually very retentive,
a fact highly important to the trainer's art. I have already
explained to the reader in my chapter on carnivores in
captivity that these animals are not so dangerous as people
who know nothing about them suppose ; indeed the majority
of them, as I have already said, are by nature of a peaceful
and even affectionate disposition. Strange as this may
seem, it is nevertheless true.

It is now universally recognised that each animal has its
own peculiar characteristics, its own idiosyncrasies over and
above the general psychological character which it shares
with all other members of its species. This is a discovery I
had to make for myself, and a most important one it is for
the trainer, for, I say without fear of contradiction, that no
trainer is fit for his vocation who is unable to read the char-
acter of the individual animals which he has to train. And
so it came about that when I introduced the humane system
of training, as I may call it, I not only substituted for the
whip and the red-hot iron a kindly method of educating the
creatures (based upon an intelligent system of rewards and
punishments) but I also instituted the practice of studying the
character of each individual animal before includintr it in a
troupe. At the present day all trainers worthy of the name
follow this course. From the first moment that the animals
come into possession of their teachers, they are carefully ob-
served and have all their peculiarities noted with the view of
applying to each the treatment best adapted to its tempera-
ment. Some animals require more encouragement than
others ; many, on the contrary, have to be treated sternly owing
to their obstinate dispositions. Such differences as these
must be known and acted upon by the trainer. It must be
remembered that the trainer's task is beset with difficulties,
for he is demanding from his pupils something which is alto-
gether foreign to their nature. It is not natural for a lion

126 BEASTS AND MEN

roaming the primeval forests of Africa to ride like a man on
the back of a horse, or for a tiger prowling through an Indian
jungle to amuse itself by jumping through a hoop. Moreover,
not every lion or tiger can learn to perform tricks, however
much trouble may be taken with his tuition. Some are hope-
lessly clumsy in their movements, many never learn the duty
of obedience, and others again are nervous and forget from
day to day what they are taught.

As I have already observed, it is a cardinal principle of
the new school to expel from the troupe any animals which
do not possess sufficient intelligence, or are too clumsy, to
become successful performers. To recruit beasts indiscrimin-
ately is to court failure. Each beast must be carefully
selected in accordance with its aptitude for the work it is
wanted to perform ; otherwise the success of an entire troupe
may be marred by the misbehaviour of a single ill-chosen
animal. It is absolutely essential to discard at once any
animals which are unadapted to the work. I have previously
related that on the occasion of my first attempt to introduce
the humane system of training, out of twenty-one lions only
four proved to be of any use for my purpose. Nor is the
selection of the most likely performers always a very easy
matter. There are animals which behave quite well at first,
and only show a dislike for the work later, when they are set
to perform with a large number of comrades ; at such times
they are apt to become very dangerous to the trainer if he
fails to notice the change which has come over them.

Let us consider the first stages in the training of a troupe
of performing animals. We see lions, tigers, panthers, polar
bears, and dogs, all young and unsophisticated, which have
been selected because of their beauty, and because they
appear to possess characters which will fit them to become
performers. The first thing is to accustom the creatures to
one another, for it would of course be very dangerous, and
probably disastrous, to let the whole medley of animals into
a common cage without preparing them in any way for meet-

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TRAINING WILD ANIMALS 129

ing each other. The cubs are therefore lodged In a row of
single cages which are separated from each other by bars
only ; the young animals can all see each other and converse
together in their own language. The teacher gives individual
attention to each of his pupils, visiting and petdng each one
in turn so that they all come to know and love their master.
After a considerable time the animals are brought out for
their first joint lesson, which takes place in a large arena,
under the superintendence of the trainer to whom they have
been accustomed. As in a kindergarten school, there is no
real work done in the first lesson ; the animals only learn to
know one another more intimately, play about with each other
and with their master, and make themselves familiar with
their new surroundings.

From the first moment that the creatures are let loose in
the arena, the trainer keeps a watchful eye upon every
member of the incipient troupe, and has frequently to interfere
to prevent a quarrel. All young animals (and for the matter
of that, all old animals too) are very fond of play, but they are
exceedingly apt to lose their tempers during the game, and to
misunderstand each other's actions. Here, perhaps, a polar,
bear lumbers towards a lion and playfully tugs the latte '&
mane ; but the king of beasts misses the point of the joke, and
gives his Arctic comrade a heavy box on the ears. This
mioht be the beo-inninor of serious trouble, but the trainer is
quickly on the spot, and by a kindly blow on the ribs intimates
to the Hon that civility is expected during lessons. Or, again,
it occurs to a tiger, who is perhaps by nature somewhat of
a hooligan, to deal a blow with his paw at a panther which
is peacefully trotting by him ; the panther spits furiously and
crouches to spring, but the trainer is again instantly on the
spot, and soon separates the two combatants. Even during
this first lesson it is possible for the trainer to get some idea of
the character of his animals, to distinguish which of them are
peaceable and which pugnacious, which are obedient and
which obstinate and self-willed. In the second lesson all the

9

I30 BEASTS AxND MEN

apparatus necessary for more advanced training is placed in
the arena, for of course the programme of the proposed per-
formance is thoroughly worked out before any beginning is
made with the actual trainino^ of the animals. A number of
blocks are piled up in the form of a staircase ; and there is
a barrel upon which a tiger has to learn to balance himself.
The trainer carries a whip, but far more important than this
is the leather pocket, attached to his belt, for it is here that
he keeps the little pieces of meat which are to reward the
young carnivores for their obedience. The animals are let
loose in the arena, and stare with astonishment at the imposing
erection which they see before them. They are not allowed
long, however, to satisfy their curiosity ; the lesson is begun
forthwith, for the trainer knows well that it is only when they
really get to work that he can form a sound judgment upon
the characters and abilities of the various members of his
troupe.

On the top step of the pyramid of wooden blocks a lion
is to stand ; on the second highest step two tigers, then two
panthers, and in front, upon two blocks, the polar bears are
to learn to sit, whilst the dogs are to be trained to jump over
the backs of the panthers. The work of making the animals
understand what is required of them needs infinite patience ;
they have to be taught to take their own places on the pyra-
mid, and it is long indeed before they realise that they must
stay there quietly and not jump down before they receive the
order to do so. And no less patience is required in making
the tiger grasp the fact that he is intended to maintain his
grotesque position upon the rolling barrel, for the great beast,
naturally enough, does not readily comprehend the object of
this performance.

From the very commencement every step in the proceed-
ings has to be carefully thought out and pre-arranged, and
their respective parts in the performance have to be so
thoroughly drilled into all the animals that they acquire an
absolutely inveterate habit of doing the right thing at the

Lion on his block.

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TRAINING WILD ANIMALS 133

rio-ht moment. Thus when the stao-e of rehearsals is over,
and the performance is given before an audience, the pro-
gramme is worked through almost mechanically. As soon as
the animals which are to compose a troupe have been chosen,
each one is given a name of its own by which it is always
called, and as they hear their names shouted whenever any-
thing is required of them, they soon grow accustomed to the
sound. The first thino- to be done is to o-ive each animal a
definite place of its own, and with this object in view small
blocks are placed round the arena by the wall, and each four-
footed performer must be taught to sit upon his own special
block, and, after each trick which he has performed or after each
scene in which he has taken part, to trot back to this block as
a matter of course. This is the first thingf for the animals to
learn. The trainer therefore walks up to a lion and holds a
piece of meat in front of him, trying in this way to lead the
brute to a block. Or perhaps he uses rougher methods, and
pulls the creature along by its hair. When the spot is
reached, the reward is not yet earned ; the lion has to climb
upon the block, and only when he has done this does he re-
ceive his prize. It never occurs to the lion, however, that he
is supposed to remain upon the block ; and having eaten the
meat he immediately leaps off and proceeds to enjoy himself
in the arena. The trainer must then lead him back to the
block, and make him stand upon it once more. This has to be
repeated over and over again until at last the lion begins to
understand what his master wishes him to do. The same
process has to be gone through with every member of the
troupe. When in this way they have all been taught to take
up their correct positions round the arena, they are then
ready to learn the more advanced parts of the training.

After a considerable period has elapsed and all the move-
ments have been repeated many times over with each animal,
the troupe at last reaches the stage at which they answer to
their names like pet dogs, and will stand or sit patiently upon
their blocks around the arena until they are called by their

134 BEASTS AND MEN

master. This is of course the first and easiest staee of their
education ; but even as early as this, many turn out to be
unfit for the work throuoh viciousness or other fault. Punish-
ment in these cases would be of no use. It would only make
the animals more stubborn than before ; and if they were kept
in the troupe their fellow-pupils would soon be spoilt by the
bad example. There is nothing for it but to replace them by
more promising animals. The next thing to be done is to
teach the tricks with which the public is to be astonished.
The living pyramid has to be constructed over and over
again. The tiger needs many lessons before he can stand
upon his rolling barrel. The reader may easily perceive how
great is the strain on the temper of the animal trainer, when
he understands how many hundreds of times each small move-
ment has to be gone through, and that the slightest loss of
self-control on his part would ruin the whole of the proceedings.
But while he is careful to keep his temper, he must at the same
time maintain the strictest discipline. As he leads them up-
ward step by step in their difficult task, he must imbue them
with the feeling that disobedience is an impossibility. I need
hardly say that the arduous labour involved in training wild
animals can only be successfully carried out by one who is
really fond of them. A genuine affection is needful for the
establishment of mutual confidence between teacher and pupils.
Courage too is most essential, for it must ncA^er be forgotten
that however domesticated they may appear to be, they are yet
at heart wild animals, and in all wild beasts there remains —
deep down, perhaps, but there all the same — some remnant
of their primitive ferocity. There is therefore always a chance
of some savage outburst of temper, and the teacher has to
watch with a never-tiring eye for the smallest indication of
any change in behaviour of any of his fearsome pupils. And
this liability to outbreaks of temper increases with advancing
agfe. -

If the few cardinal principles which I have mentioned be
carefully followed out, the danger ought to be very slight.

TRAINING WILD ANIMALS 135

In looking on at a performing troupe the spectators often
think that the animals are in a very dangerous temper, and
are ready at the first opportunity to seize their master and
tear him to pieces. But this appearance of ferocity is merely
show, put on for the purpose of making the entertainment
more piquant. The ominous snarling and savage growling
do not really mean anger ; and that the trainer very well
knows. How seldom accidents happen my own experience
testifies. Enormous numbers of performing animals and very
many performing troupes have at one time or another passed
through my course of instruction, and gone forth into the
world to earn their living. Of all these hundreds, or rather
thousands, of animals, accidents have occurred in only two
cases. In one, at least, of these cases, the fault must be
ascribed rather to the man than to the animal. The acci-
dent happened at the Chicago Exhibition in 1893 when a
foolish young Englishman managed to make his way from
among the sight-seers into the carnivores' den without my
knowledge and contrary to my strict orders. He paid for his
folly by being severely mauled by a lion, but the trainer suc-
ceeded in extricating him in time to save his life.

The other accident was more directly traceable to care-
lessness on our part. It occurred during the Industrial Exhi-
bition in Berlin in 1896, and the victim in this case was my
brother-in-law Heinrich Mehrmann. He was exhibiting a
large troupe of mixed carnivores, among which was a black
bear which I knew to be dangerous and had specially warned
him against. Nevertheless, he continued the performances
with this animal, and received two severe wounds, which kept
him in hospital for a month. I take some credit to myself
for the fact that these two are the only accidents which have
occurred under the immediate management of my firm. I
account foi it by the extreme care with which I eliminate
from the troupe all animals that do not seem thoroughly
reliable.

I think I ought to say something about my brother

136

BEASTS AND MEN

VVilhelm Hagenbeck, who was one of the early pioneers of
modern methods and has by his long experience become a
past-master in the art of training wild beasts. Nearly all the
troupes which he now exhibits have been collected and broken
in by himself, though of late years he has received some as-
sistance from his son. One of his most remarkable achieve-
ments was the training of a young lion to ride on the back of
a horse and in that position to perform a variety of equestrian
tricks.

Wilhelm Hagenbeck also was the first to introduce troupes
of polar bears into the circus. Before his time it was held
that polar bears were untrainable ; and to him belongs the

Polar bears in the arena.

credit of showing the error of this view. With great patience
and care their education is quite practicable, though at certain
periods of the year they become extraordinarily restless and
intractable. At this season it requires all the tact and ability
that the trainer possesses to keep the creatures under control.
The other species of bears — Russian, American and Indian —
all take kindly to performing exhibitions during the first few
years of their lives. But even they, when they have reached
the age of three or four, are apt to become peevish and danger-
ous. Bears, although some of the most amusing of all perform-
ers, are responsible for more accidents than any other animals.
In the same way that many of the performing troupes
throughout the world have been trained in my establishment,
so too their masters have in many cases received their early

TRAINING WILD ANIMALS 139

lessons in the very same place. There they have learnt to
distinguish the peculiarities and characters of different animals.
They have learnt also the great lessons of tact and patience,
which are perhaps the most essential of all the traits which go
to make up the animal trainer. I myself have advanced
greatly in knowledge and skill since my debut at Chicago.
I make a rule of almost always going into the animals' cages
to make myself acquainted with their peculiarities.

I well remember the astonishment on one occasion of a
party of officers and ladies who had come one Sunday after-
noon to visit my Zoological Garden. I took them to look
at a dozen young lions which were shortly to be sent to the
Chicago Exhibition, but which had not yet completed their
training. As I stroked them through the bars, one of the
officers laughingly remarked that that was all very well with
bars in between, but would be a very different matter if I
were inside the cage. I thereupon walked into the cage, to
his great surprise, and was soon surrounded by them. As
they were moulting at the time I got so covered with their
hairs that I very soon looked like a lion myself Without
any whip or other protection I put them through the element-
ary tricks which they had already learnt. By the time I had
come out, the incredulity of the party had vanished and
I was bombarded with hundreds of questions as to how
I taught them to be so tame.

My first experience as an animal trainer was in the
seventies. About this time I had sold to the nesro Del-
monico three lion cubs and three tiger cubs, which he pro-
ceeded to train for three months in my establishment in a
sort of waggon-cage. Just before he left he dared me to
go into this cage and say good-bye to my animals. Although
at that time I had nothing like the experience which I now
have, I took him at his word. Goino- into the cao-e I sue-
ceeded in taking the animals through all the tricks which
Delmonico taught them, to the very considerable discom-
fiture of that individual.

140 BEASTS AND MEN

Hazardous experiments like this do not always end so
well. Of this I have from time to time seen not a few ins-
tances, though I myself have survived whole and sound.

About the time of the incident with Delmonico which I
have just related, I had offered a number of young bears,
hysenas, and lions to a French animal trainer. These he
had accepted on the condition that I first made the animals
thoroughly accustomed to one another's society. It was
in my efforts to carry out this provision that the trouble arose.
The first thing to do was to place the animals in contiguous
cages, separated from one another, not by a solid partition,
but merely by bars through which they could see one another.
When they had thus become accustomed to one another's
proximity, I removed the bars between the bears and hyaenas,
and was glad to find that they took very kindly to one
another. After a little time longer, I took the final step of
removing the bars which separated the lions on the one hand
from the bears and hysenas on the other hand. At first all
was peace and happiness : but, alas ! it was only the calm
before the storm. To the present day I cannot, for the life
of me, conceive what it was that suddenly brought about
a violent misunderstanding. The bears trotted up to the
lions, whether with the intention of provoking a quarrel or
merely in playful greeting I cannot say. But if they intended
it to be playful, the fun fell flat. The lions failed to perceive
it in that light, and in a moment the whole collection, lions,
bears and hysenas, degenerated into a savage throng of snarl-
ing beasts. My position now was anything but pleasant. I
could not venture personally among the infuriated animals,
as I should almost certainly have been severely injured ; so
I made a hasty exit from the cage and with considerable
difficulty we managed to separate the ill-tempered creatures
before much harm was done.

My first troupe of heterogeneous animals was organised
in the seventies. It consisted of two striped hyaenas, two
dogs, two brown bears and a young Indian sloth-bear. These

TRAINING WILD ANIMALS 143

seven animals had been placed together at so early an age that
they knew nothing of life apart from each other's society. By
this early and intimate association, the animals which live in
nature in the most extreme hostility may be bred up as bosom
friends. The lion and the lamb lying down together is no
mere fable, though it can only be achieved by long and careful
training. In the wild state, the lion looks upon the ox as his
normal food, and his whole nature has to be changed if he is to
be taught to treat it as a friend. The peace-loving goat which
feeds on vegetables has to be profoundly altered in constitu-
tion before he can be persuaded to make friends with the blood-
thirsty tiger, whose very odour is ordinarily sufficient to terrify
him. The panther and the sheep may be brought up as play-
fellows, the one forgetting its savage instincts and the other
its fears. It is entirely due to the humane system of training
that this triumph is due. My first experiment in this line was
made in the summer of 1889. I had then already succeeded
in accustoming to one another two tigers, two lions, two black
and two ordinary panthers, three Angora goats, two black-
headed Somali sheep, an Indian dwarf zebu, a Shetland pony
and two poodles. Of course, the training began when they
were all quite young, mostly at about six or eight months.
This troupe was almost ready to be exhibited, when a mis-
fortune very nearly brought the whole work to nothing. The
carnivores were attacked by the cholera epidemic, previously
described, and most of them died. The few that I was able
to send to the Chicago Exhibition were not sufficient for
producing any of these greater effects.

I have, however, not lost sight of these experiments, and
am confident that the most jarring elements of the animal
kingdom may be united to a degree not yet dreamt of by the
general public. I should not begin to boast before I have
succeeded ; but I may say that I hope very shortly to place
before the public some exhibitions of this kind which will throw
all previous ventures into the shade.

There is practically no animal which by the exercise of

144 BEASTS AND MEN

patience and intelligence may not be tamed to some degree.
Even alligators have been broken in and exhibited. Various
kinds of seals have been used for performing with great suc-
cess ; and they are undoubtedly well adapted to the circus.
Who has not marvelled at the way in which they can balance
any kind of object on the tip of their snout, or toss up balls
and catch them again with mathematical accuracy as they
fall ? A quarter of a century ago the American, Woodward,
performed real wonders in the way of training seals. Just
as in well-trained troupes a genuine friendship exists between
the trainer and his animals, so it often happens that a close
friendship grows up between the animals themselves. When
this happens the trainer will do well to take full advantage of
it by working the animals together. As long as these friend-
ships are between animals of allied species they seem natural
enough. I remember an instance of a crowned crane and an
ostrich from West Africa which had become inseparable while
still in the enclosure and before trainino- beofan. On another
occasion a similar friendship was formed between a crane and
a goose. But when the animals are of totally different species
the alliance between them is more remarkable. Thus I re-
member a case in which an elephant contracted a friendship
with a pony. So indispensable to the great monster did the
society of this pony become, that he became melancholy and
refused his food when he was separated from his little comrade.
The first mixed troupe which my father established con-
sisted of a great Bengal tiger, an Indian panther and a fox-
terrier. These three creatures were knit tog-ether in a firm
bond of friendship. The fox-terrier gnawed the same bone
as the tiger, and the latter never thought of injuring his little
friend. It is, as I have said, more impressive when the
animals which work together are in their natural environment
grim enemies. Nothing but the fundamental principle of
kindness and studying the animals' habits can crown these
efforts with success. Take, for instance, the case of a lion and
a horse which are to be taught to perform together. First

TRAINING WILD ANIMALS 145

they are fastened up within sight but out of reach of each
other. When they have become accustomed to each other's
smell and appearance they can then by gradual means be
brought to eat and sleep in each other's presence. In fact,
they become so used to one another that neither notices the
other's presence. When this stage has been reached the
o-reatest obstacle has of course been surmounted.

A few years ago a man came to me and asked for em-
ployment as a seal trainer. I happened at the time to possess
five fine young seals, and, having a lively recollection of
Woodward's delightful performances, I engaged the man at
a wage of 25s. per week with the promise that for each
animal he succeeded in training he should receive a bonus of
^5. My man soon showed that he knew what he was about.
After four months the seals had become such adept performers
that they beat the tambourine, twanged the guitar, fired off
pistols, fetched articles that were thrown into the water and
did various other tricks. My trainer received his bonus,
and we sold the seals to Barnum for the large sum of ^500.

Yet more clever and adroit than seals are the Cali-
fornian sea-lions. This is the species which performs those
wonderful tricks so common in the circus. The sea-lion is
the most lively of all pinnipeds and quickly becomes ac-
customed to our climate. They have been bred in various
Zoological Gardens, at Cologne, Paris, Amsterdam, and Ant-
werp. The American, Woodward, was the first to attempt
the training of these animals, but later on he had rivals in two
young Englishmen, Willie and Charlie Judge, who worked for
several years in my Garden. These two brothers were the
first to show what might really be done with sea-lions.

The largest sea-lion which I have ever seen was one that

I received in the year 1880 from my old friend Barnum.

Although this great animal weighed well over a quarter of a

ton it was so tame that it used to follow my father like a dog,

-and he took a special pride in looking after it entirely by

Jiimself An amusing incident once occurred when he was

10

146 BEASTS AND MEN

engaged in feeding this creature. It was one Sunday when
several hundred spectators had come to watch the animals
being fed. My father carried over his arm a basket in which
were contained the fish which he threw as food to his pet.
When the basket had been half emptied, my father, thinking
that the sea-lion had had enough, turned round to walk away.
But the sea-lion was of a very different opinion. No sooner
had my father shown his intention of leaving, than the great
beast glided up with lightning speed behind him, and with
a sudden movement tore off all the clothes from his back. It
then collared the basket and with great apparent good nature
proceeded to devour the remainder of the fish. My father
beat a hasty retirement into the nearest corner, where he stood
in the only position that was decorous — namely with his back
to the wall, I had to hurry to fetch some more clothes for
my father ; and when he reappeared, arrayed in these, he
was received with loud cheers by the public. This occurrence
must not be attributed to any uncertainty of temper in the sea-
lion, but to my father's error in taking into the enclosure more
fish than he intended to give the animal. It felt that it was
being unjustly treated, and adopted its own method of remedy-
ing its grievance. So far from showing ill temper, the inci-
dent shows intelligence in the animal — an intelligence which,
whether they be lions or tigers, elephants or seals, is the most
essential quality for a performing animal to possess.

CHAPTER VI.

THE GREAT HERBIVORES.

There is a widespread belief among the public that the ele-
phant is one of the most intelligent of animals, and I certainly
think that this opinion is well founded. Individual peculiar-
ities are very noticeable in these animals : they are wonderfully
quick of apprehension, have remarkably retentive memories,
and in their likes, as in their aversions, they display great in-
tensity and depth of feeling. The elephant is a much cleverer
creature than the horse, and his power of differentiation is
almost human.

On the emotional side too, the psychology of these
gigantic quadrupeds is most interesting. Darwin was sur-
prised to find that a bull elephant did not accept all the cows
which were brought to him, but showed favour to some
and rejected others. Now this is a subject which I have
had frequent opportunities of studying, and I have found that
these beasts "fall in love" in the true sense of the word ;
that is, they conceive a truly monogamous affection for one
particular cow, and are not merely actuated by a general
predilection for the opposite sex. I remember a striking case
in point. Some years ago I had in my Zoological Garden a
young bull elephant that had just arrived at maturity. This
animal became enamoured of a young cow, and, his affection
beinof returned, it was an interestinof and touching^ sigfht to see
them tenderly caressing one another. I decided to test the
genuineness of the bull's marital affection by the introduction
of a third party — a somewhat cynical proceeding, perhaps, but

it was all in the cause of science. One day, whilst the bull

147 10*

148 BEASTS AND MEN

was enjoying a doze, his loved one was led away and another,
somewhat older, but to all appearances thoroughly lovable,
cow introduced in her stead. When the elephant awoke he
immediately discovered his loss, and paying not the least
attention to the blandishments of the new cow, he raged
about the yard in a pitiful state of agitation until his sweet-
heart was restored to him.

Elephants are in all ways models of domestic virtue, for
the parents' devotion to their children is as great as their
love for each other. I have frequently had opportunities
of observing this, but to me it has always been even more
interesting to see the kindness with which other elephants
— not belonging to the family at all — treat the young
calves. The patience of the old elephants is, too, very often
severely tried, for the calves are astonishingly skittish for such
heavily built little animals. They are up to all sorts of mis-
chief, and are especially fond of running under the legs of
their elders and nudoino- them from below. The calves
used to have regular wrestling matches with my Indian ele-
phant drivers, and when a man was knocked down by his
opponent the little brute would trample upon him in the
greatest delight.

A great number of elephants have passed through my
hands, and in my long experience of the creatures I have
naturally grown to know their racial character, as well as the
peculiar traits of particular individuals. Indeed on more than
one occasion an elephant has come uncomfortably near put-
ting an end to my career. Clever animals are liable to
moods, with which it is not always possible to reckon, and at
certain seasons the bulls are not to be depended upon and
become very dangerous. One of my worst accidents hap-
pened at the end of the sixties. About that time I purchased .
a menagerie in Trieste, which included among the other
beasts a female elephant which stood about eight feet high.
She seemed to be a thoroughly good-tempered animal, her
only fault being that she occasionally had the sulks — a not

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THE GREAT HERBIVORES 151

uncommon characteristic in all feminine creatures. I soon
made friends with the cow, who was given the name of Lissy,
and I never passed her stall without giving her a handful of food.
1 was therefore justified in supposing that I had quite won her
heart, and, as she never showed any signs of violence, it did not
occur to me that I might be dealing here with a grossly deceit-
ful creature. The elephant was being taught a trick, in which
she had to lift her keeper high into the air with her trunk,
and then slowly set him upon the ground again. The word
of command which was given her when she had to perform
this simple exhibition of her tameness was, " Lissy, apport! "
One day about noon I found Lissy alone in her stable, the
keeper being absent. There must have been a devil in me,
for I felt a desire to be embraced and raised on high by the
cow, after the manner of her affectionate treatment of her
keeper. I therefore went up to the elephant, stroked and fed
her, and taking hold of her trunk I called out the word of
command, " Lissy, apport! " Then followed one of the most
vilely treacherous acts of which I have ever heard. Lissy
began to obey the order, but I soon felt that she was bent on
mischief, for the embrace of her trunk was unpleasantly vigor-
ous, and I soared high into the air. But I was not quietly
deposited once more upon my feet. Instead of this, Lissy
dashed me violently against the wooden barrier in front of
her stall, and I went flying over into the menagerie. I lay
almost senseless upon the ground until the old keeper, Philipp,
appeared and helped me home. Fortunately neither my
head nor my side had hit the barrier, and no bones were
broken, but I was terribly bruised and for weeks I could only
hobble about with great pain. Whether the elephant was
secretly amused at my plight I cannot say, but I know that
after this incident I entirely lost my love for her.

On another occasion I had an adventure which was, if
possible, even more dangerous. At the time of which I speak
I was busy sending off a large collection of animals to
America, among which there was a male elephant that stood

152

BEASTS AND MEN

six feet at the shoulder and possessed tusks eighteen inches
long. At that time the animals had to be shipped from
Bremen, and so I went down to the railway station in Ham-
burg to see all the beasts properly entrained, leaving the
keeper to bring along the elephant. Whilst I was in a van
stowing away boxes, the elephant, which was very restive,
was brought in and fastened up in a corner. The people who
had brought him then departed, leaving me alone with the
great quadruped and one other man, who was also at work in

Dwarf elephant from the Congo.

the van. Suspecting no danger I paid no attention to the
animal, but went on with my work. Suddenly I received a
terrific blow from behind and saw two tusks o-leaminCT on
either side of me. I realised in a flash that the elephant was
trying to impale me against the wall. The tusks squeezed
me on either side, and the brute was pressing me against the
wall, but by vigorous wriggling I managed to slip down be-
tween the tusks and fall beneath the giant's body. There I lay
groaning on the ground, but the other man, whose attention
had by this time been attracted, rushed to the rescue and
hauled me into safety. The pain in my back was terrible, but

THE GREAT HERBIVORES 153

once more I had escaped without serious injury. Luckily for
me the bull had made a bad shot ; his tusks had gone through
both coat and waistcoat on either side of my body ; had they
been a couple of inches either to the right or the left he would
have pierced me through and through, and there would have
been an end of Carl Hagenbeck.

On another occasion — it was in the eighties — one of my
elephants proved so dangerous that I was reluctandy com-
pelled to sign his death warrant- The beast in question was
a large working elephant, a male standing about seven and
a half feet high. He had more than once given proof of his
vicious temper, and one day he brought the matter to a climax
by attacking and nearly killing one of the keepers. The man
was only saved by the promptitude and courage with which
another keeper, who had the power of intiuencing and soothing
the elephant, came to the rescue. The animal was out of the
stables at the time of this occurrence, and naturally he had
to be conducted back to his stall with the greatest caution.
Rapes and bread were given him in the hope of appeasing his
wrath, but some stout ropes were brought along too. One of
these was fastened to a hindleg, and another to a foreleg.
I then went ahead with the rope attached to the foreleg, and
on reaching the stable I wound it round an iron post, so that,
in the event of the brute breaking loose from his drivers, his
ranore of action would at least be limited to the neighbourhood
of the stable. At last the elephant reached his stall and the
rope on the hindleg was quickly passed through a ring attached
to the wall. At this moment the fury of the giant broke out
afresh. By the side of him stood two other elephants, and
being securely bound, both before and behind, he launched his
mighty weight sideways against the nearer of these with such
energy that this other elephant — who was as large as the
great hooligan himself— fell flat upon her side, and nearly upset
the further one as well. I had seen some proofs of elephant
prowess before, but never anything quite equal to this.

One naturally dislikes putting an end to a valuable animal,

154

BEASTS AND MEN

but in this case I saw it would not do to hesitate any longer.
At any moment a fatal accident might occur ; there was no
help for it, the monster must be executed. It happened, how-
ever, that I had to depart for England on the next day, and it
was therefore necessary to postpone the unpleasant ceremony
until my return. In England I met Mr. Rowland Ward,
the naturalist. I happened to tell him about the elephant,

which I proposed to

have killed on my
return, and to my
surprise he made a
most original propo-
sal. If the elephant
were to be had cheap,
he said he would
willingly buy him
from me, for he be-
lieved he could easily
find a "sportsman"
to whom it would be
worth fifty pounds to
be able to say that
he had once shot an
elephant! I naturally
jumped at the idea
of saving some of

12° below zero. ^y l^gg^ ^^^ thrOUgh

Rowland Ward it was soon arranged that a certain Mr. W.
should come to Hamburg within a week for the purpose of
shooting big game in my Zoological Garden. Sure enough,
the two gentlemen arrived in Hamburg provided with a whole
arsenal of different sorts of rifles, and it was duly arranged that
the elephant hunt should take place the next day at Neuer
Pferdemarkt. I made all the needful preparations, and took
care to notify the police, who decided to send representatives
to see that there was no danger to the public. The hunt

THE GREAT HERBIVORES

50

was to begin at ten o'clock, and in order to make the scene
as dramatic as possible I had the bull driven out into the yard
at the back of the elephant house, and there firmly tethered
to a wall, so that he could not possibly break loose. The wall
itself was overlaid with planks two and a half inches thick in
order to prevent the bullets rebounding.

Ten o'clock struck, and all the preparations were com-
plete. All was in readiness, but the hero of the story did not
appear. What could have happened? We waited for an
hour, and then, as the sportsman still did not arrive, I hastened
into the town to remind him of his engagement- I found him
and brought him back to the hunting-ground, and at twelve
o'clock we gathered round to see the hunter slay his game.
The gentleman had brought along his arsenal, but now that
he was in sight of the victim his sporting ardour seemed to
have unaccountably left him. He fingered his murderous
weapons, but did not fire the fatal shot. Presently one of my
travellers, who happened to be present, offered to fire the shot,
but this the owner of the elephant refused to allow. After
further delay, I at last proposed to the embarrassed hero that
the animal should be hanged, and to this he gave his consent.

The condemned oriant was therefore driven back into the
stable, and a noose was placed round his neck. The rope
was wound round a pulley, attached to a cross-beam under
the roof, and six of my men played the part of executioners.
" One, two, three" I called out, and at the third shout they all
hauled on the end of the rope. The bull almost immedi-
ately lost the ground under his feet, his head fell sideways,
and in less than a minute he was dead. We found afterwards
that his neck had been broken. Thus ended one of the
strangest tragi-comedies which I have ever seen.

Elephants in captivity do not always die such a painless
death as that which I have just described. The fate of the
first elephant which we ever possessed was far less happy.
My father purchased this beast from an English animal
dealer in i860; the price was only ^80, for the creature

156

BEASTS AND MEN

was afflicted with a serious lameness in his right hindleg.
We hoped the brute would recover from this malady, but
instead of g-ettinpf better his lameness orew worse, and eventu-
ally he became so weak that he could only with the greatest
difficulty stand up again in his stall after he had once lain

-i-'\"*^

60° below zero.

down. At last he grew so bad that he lay tor two whole days
groaning in his stall, and my father seeing that nothing
could be done for him, sold the unfortunate animal to the
Hamburg Museum. The authorities of this institution took
him over with the intention of killing him themselves. But
this was not such an easy matter as they had supposed. They
first attempted to put an end to the poor beast by injecting

THE GREAT HERBIVORES 157

poison, but although the quantity used would have pretty well
sufficed to finish off the entire population of Hamburg, the
wretched elephant survived the ordeal. At last, in despera-
tion at the pertinacity with which the animal clung to life, the
people fastened him up by the trunk, and stuck him like a pig.
The reader may be inclined to infer from all these stories
of accidents and other misfortunes that I have had ill-luck
with elephants, and that they are very difficult creatures to
manage in captivity. There is no doubt that they are apt
to be awkward customers on occasion, and to the dangerous
incidents which I have related I could add others of a similar
character. Some of my elephants, for instance, once ran
amok in Munich. Nevertheless, the vicious elephants are
the exceptions. Most of my trunked friends live in my
memory not because of their objectionable propensities but
because of their intelligence, their good nature, and their
wonderful fidelity. One of the most docile and affectionate
beasts which I have ever known was a bull which I obtained
some twenty years ago from a Hamburg trader. He stood
seven feet hia-h, and had tusks measurino- two feet. When
this animal was first offered to me he was still on the high seas,
on the passage to Europe, but from the accounts of him which
I received I gathered that he was unusually tame. As a
rule, I am loath to buy male elephants, because, as I have
previously explained, after they arrive at a certain age they
are subject to periodic moods, during which their tempers
are exceedingly uncertain. When the ship arrived in port
I went on board to inspect the bull, and I speedily discovered
that the stories I had heard of his tameness were in no way
exaggerated. The poor beast was in a pitiful plight, however.
It was already late in the autumn, and he was standing on
the deck, in the open air, literally shaking and trembling with
cold. Various other symptoms made it obvious that he
was in ill-health. I thereupon agreed with the owner to take
the animal to Neuer Pferdemarkt to see if a short residence
there would improve his condition. A good warm stable, a nice

158 BEASTS AND MEN

straw bed, and careful nursing under my personal supervision,
soon worked wonders, and in a week's time I was able to
ratify my purchase.

The intelligence and affectionate disposition of this ele-
phant were quite remarkable. After I had taken care of him
for a few days he would call to me with trumpeting tones when-
ever he heard my voice or my step, and would beg for an extra
morsel of food, with which I used always to indulge him. I
baptised him " Bosco," and under this name he afterwards
became famous in the circus world.

It was not long, only four weeks in fact, before a would-
be purchaser of Bosco appeared upon the scene in the shape
of an American menagerie owner, who possessed a circus in
Buenos Ayres. Before buying Bosco, however, the Ameri-
can desired that he should learn various tricks, and for this
purpose it was arranged that the elephant should remain
another six weeks in my possession. In the meanwhile I sold
the American a troupe of performing lions, and these he sent
off to Buenos Ayres, he himself remaining behind in order to
take personal charge of Bosco on the passage across the
Atlantic. I applied myself forthwith to the education of
Bosco, and found him a marvellously apt pupil. All elephants
are intelligent, but the quickness with which my present pupil
understood what was required of him was simply astounding.
The simple, old-fashioned tricks, such as used to be exhibited
in all circuses, he learnt in a few days. He learnt in one
day to lie down, and to sit down, at the word of command.
In less than four weeks he would sit himself at a table, pull
the bell, allow himself to be served by a monkey, drink out
of a bottle, eat off a plate, and in short would dine in the most
orthodox human fashion. He had in fact become an accom-
plished performer. After about six weeks my friend the
American departed, highly delighted with Bosco. Over
in South America he was very successful, constantly hav-
ing a full house, and making large profits. Four months
later he was once more in Europe, wishing to make further

THE GREAT HERBIVORES 159

purchases, and I was again able to satisfy him in this
direction. ^ .

My acquaintance with Bosco, however, was destined to be
renewed, and that in an unexpected manner. One day, about
two years later, I returned from a journey and was greeted
with the joyful news that my favourite had returned from
America, and was even now lodged in my own stables. It
was already pretty late in the evening, but to me it was as
though I was receiving a visit from an old friend, and, seizing
some sandwiches as a welcome for my great pet, I hurried to
the stables. In the menagerie it was nearly dark, and on
reaching the door I shouted " Hallo, Bosco," and immediately
a joyful cry rang out from the distance. As I came nearer
Bosco began gurgling in his throat, after the manner of all his
kind when anything pleases them very much. As soon as he
could reach me he seized me by the arm, drew me close up to
him, and licked me all over my face, all the time gurgling
loudly. It was most touching to see the delight of the great
quadruped at meeting his old master once more, and when it
is remembered that the animal was only a few weeks in my
possession — though, it is true, we were close friends during
that time — this episode constitutes a convincing proof, I think,
of the excellent memories possessed by these huge beings.

The rapidity with which elephants can be trained is very
remarkable. Once, many years ago now, I was asked by
the director of a theatre in Breslau to supply him with a
young elephant which had been trained for riding. The
animal was to take part in an exhibition, and was to be de-
livered in about a fortnight. Unfortunately I was just about
to start upon a journey, which, of course, prevented me from
beginning to train the young elephant ; and as in those early
days I was still proprietor, traveller, correspondent, and
trainer all in one, the education of the beast could not be
commenced until my return. I arrived home only two days
before the expiry of my time limit. The first two hours of
the training were exceedingly arduous, but after that time

i6o

BEASTS AND MEN

I had obtained some control of my pupil. After four hours he
had so far grasped what was required of him that he would
lie down when commanded to do so, would allow me to
clamber on to his back, and would, again at the word of com-
mand, stand up once more. That was the first day's lesson.
On the second day I trained him to allow me to ride him to
and fro in the menagerie, and the same evening he was duly

African and Indian elephant.

packed off to Breslau in charge of a keeper who had assisted
in his education. I heard that my pupil in no way disgraced
me at the show, but performed his part to the satisfaction of
all concerned.

When during the seventies of last century I was exhibiting
my great Nubian caravan in the Zoological Gardens at Berlin,
there were, among the other visitors from the Dark Conti-
nent, five newly imported young African elephants. These
youthful monsters stood about five to five and a half feet in
height. One day Professor Virchow came to see me, and re-

THE GREAT HERBIVORES i6i

marked that it would be a great triumph if I could succeed in
training these animals, for at that time it was still erroneously
supposed that the African, unlike the Indian, species of ele-
phant was unfit either for a beast of burden or for a play-actor.
Great was Virchow's astonishment, not to say incredulity,
when I replied that if he cared to come again the following
afternoon he should find the young elephants properly broken
in, notwithstanding the fact that as yet no attempt had been
made to train them. I said that I would teach the brutes to
allow the Nubians to ride them, and also to carry loads. The
professor shook his head sceptically, but promised to come
with some friends the next day at 5 p.m.

There was no time to be lost, for I wished to keep my
word at all costs. No sooner had Virchow departed than
the training was begun. I had the elephants brought out,
and, selecting some of the most agile Nubians, I promised
them rewards if they would clamber on to the elephants' backs
and maintain themselves in that precarious position. The
natives were quite game, but the elephants by no means
relished the part they were expected to play. They found
the loads on their backs uncomfortable, and rushing around
with loud trumpeting, they shook themselves with such
vigour that all the riders except one were sent flying into the
sand. After the animals had been fed with bread and
turnips they became somewhat quieter, and then the
Nubians essayed their task once more, this time with greater
success. This procedure was continued until nightfall, by
which time three of the creatures had been so far broken in
that they would quite good-naturedly allow their native
keepers to ride them about the menagerie. The next morn-
ing their good example was followed by their two comrades,
and it now only remained to teach them to carry loads in-
stead of men. I ordered some sacks to be filled and bound
together in pairs with straps, and these were then hung over
the backs of the elephants. The beasts at first disliked the

feeling of the loads resting against their flanks, but they soon

II

l62

BEASTS AND MEN

became accustomed to this sensation also. By exhorting,
caressing and constantly feeding them with dainties I
achieved my object by midday. The African elephants
would carry loads, and would allow themselves to be ridden.
Professor Virchow arrived at live o'clock with some friends
from the Geographical Society and was not a little astonished
to see the wild elephants changed into domestic animals after
a few hours' schoolincr.

In 1868 some of my elephants were overtaken by a sad

African elephants.

fate. I had just arrived home from Trieste with a very large
collection of animals hailing from Africa. The journey, in-
cluding a two days' halt in Vienna, had lasted nine days, and
both men and beasts were thoroughly exhausted. By the time
I had seen all my creatures safely lodged in their respective
abodes it was already late in the evening, and I was glad to
be able to take myself off to bed without further delay.
Among the other animals there were several young elephants,
and although these, like all the rest, were very fatigued, they
seemed to be quite well, and after taking their food they im-
mediately lay down to sleep. The poor brutes had stood in

THE GREAT HERBIVORES 163

a very confined space in the railway van, and had had
scarcely any rest on the journey.

In the middle ot the night, perhaps about two o'clock, my
old keeper awoke me with the news that one of the elephants
was making- a rattling noise in its throat and seemed to be
ill. I was somewhat alarmed and intended to go and in-
vestigate the matter ; but my fatigue overcame me and I went
to sleep again. An hour later another keeper knocked and
brought a similar piece of information ; this time I roused
myself and was in the stables in a few minutes. But I was
too late. One elephant was dead and two others lay dying.
An examination showed that the soles of the feet of the dead
animal were gnawed through in several places, blood still
flowing from the wounds. " Rats," said my old keeper, and
so it proved to be, for the marks of their sharp teeth could be
plainly recognised in the horny hide, and the dying elephants
had similar injuries. Who could have foreseen such a danger ?
One can only learn these things from experience. There was
wooden flooring in the stable, and under these planks the rats
had made their nests. The next morning we slew nearly
sixty of the assassins, and, I need hardly say, the wooden
flooring was promptly removed.

Many large animals are killed by rats. In the Zoological
Gardens at Cologne two ostriches were killed by rats during
the night. Once, too, fourteen rare Australian parrots belong-
ing to my father were killed by rats at Spielbudenplatz in a
sincrle nio^ht.

There is no universal rule for the treatment of wild animals.
Even individuals of the same species, so great is their vari-
ability of temperament, have to be managed according to the
particular circumstances of each case. This peculiarity is
found, as my narrative has already shown, among elephants.
It exists, in a orreater or less decree, amon^ all animals, and
is a feature in his profession which no successful trainer can
overlook.

Moreover, it is difficult to foresee how animals will behave

II *

W:

164 BEASTS AND MEN

under any given circumstances, for they are swayed almost
completely by the impulses of the moment, and it frequently
happens that an occurrence, to us apparently trifling, will
cause a perfectly quiet and well-behaved animal to become
almost mad with terror. It is for this reason that presence of
mind is an essential quality for the animal trainer to possess ;
for he must be ready at all times to grapple with any danger-
ous whim which, without the slightest apparent cause, may be
hatched out in the half-developed intellect of his formidable
charge. Nor is it ever easy to convey to the creature's intel-
ligence what is required of him, or to make him understand
that what to him appears terrifying, is in reality perfectly
harmless.

Suppose, for instance, that one wishes to induce a rhinoceros
to walk across a gangway from a ship to the quay, it is not
enough to say, " Please, dear Mr. Rhinoceros, will you be so
kind as to walk across these planks," for the great herbivore
will fail to understand such lanouap^e, and the most exa^orerated
politeness will leave him totally unmoved Even if one places
a cord round his neck, and tries to haul him across the bridge,
a friend meanwhile prodding him from behind with a stick,
the great beast will in all probability refuse to do what is re-
quired (for the language of physical force is a dead language
to him, be it shouted never so loudly), preferring as an alter-
native to charge his puny tormentors, and trample them under
his feet. But there is one weak spot in the pachyderm's com-
position, of which his crafty keeper is not slow to make use.
He obeys, if not his master, the cravings of his own stomach.
The indulgence of appetite establishes a cosmopolitan lan-
guage, if I may be allowed to call it so, which every animal
comprehends. Hold a handful of food to his nose and he will
follow wherever you lead him. So it is, at least, with the
rhinoceros. Only do this, and all other forms of polite persua-
sion become superfluous and unnecessary.

These observations recall to my mind a somewhat danger-
ous adventure which I had in the year 187 1, at which time

THE GREAT HERBIVORES

165

I possessed no great experience in managing these animals.
William Jamrach had arrived in London from India, with a
number of elephants, rhino-
ceroses and other animals,
which I was to take over. I
went to London to receive
them. Among the other
animals there was a large
female rhinoceros, full-grown,
being seven or eight years
of aofe. The animal was
housed in an immense cag-e
built upon the deck. As this
could not be removed, it
was necessary to find some Wiiham jamrach.

method of transferring the rhinoceros from the ship to the van
provided to convey her to the stable where she was to be
temporarily lodged. The difficulty to be overcome lay in the
distance which separated the ship from the van, a space of about
500 yards. Jamrach suggested that, as the animal was well
behaved, it would be safe to lead her along the docks ; and
without sufficiently realising the great danger of this foolhardy
mode of procedure, I acquiesced in the proposal. Moreover,
I believed that we were really dealing with an unusually quiet
animal.

The preparations were soon complete. Two ropes were
firmly bound round the rhinoceros, one being used as a halter
round her neck and the other beino^ attached to one of the
creature's forelegs, whilst a number of other ropes were kept
in reserve in case of accidents. Then we addressed her in
the cosmopolitan language common to man and beasts.
Jamrach's keeper, offering her food from his hand, backed
slowly, while feeding her, across the gangway. The rhinoceros
followed and the whole party moved in the desired direction.
I gave the long rope attached to the halter to six keepers,
and instructed them to pass this through the bars forming the

i66 BEASTS AND MEN

side of the van as soon as that vehicle was reached, and to
fasten the end to the axle, thus preventing the possibility of
the rhinoceros beating a sudden retreat. I myself took the
other rope, that attached to the foreleg, and straightway com-
menced the march through the docks, the rhinoceros following
quite quietly. The whole affair appeared to be child's play.
All went well until our strange company had nearly
reached the van. Then a most untoward event occurred. To
my horror I noticed that a locomotive with a goods train was
approaching, and it immediately occurred to me that now, at
the very last moment, the rhinoceros might take fright at a
spectacle no less novel than terrifying. With a speed which
only the fear of danger can explain, I sprang to the van,
drew the rhinoceros after me, and, the keepers becoming in-
fected with my energy, we had the animal firmly fastened up
before the locomotive reached us. The sequel soon showed
how fortunate this was. The enoine-driver, who had noticed
the uncommon rapidity with which we had completed the last
part of our journey, played an idiotic practical joke by blowing
his steam-whistle to frighten the rhinoceros. This threw the
animal into a terrible state of agitation and she commenced
to snort with terror. I had just time to secure her other fore-
leg with the reserve cords, when her excitement at the con-
tinuance of the shrill whistle and at the uproar around us upon
the quay turned into furious rage, accompanied by desperate
attempts to break away out of the van. The first obstacle
she encountered was the coachman's box, which was situated
high up in front of the van. In a second the brute had her
head under this box and sent it flying into the air. It fell with
a crash into the road — luckily missing the horses, or the re-
sults would have been disastrous. The infuriated rhinoceros
next tried to charge through the front of the vr.n. I was now,
however, prepared for the emergency, and swinging myself
on to the pole of the cart I seized a thick rope and began to
thrash the beast between the ears with all my might and main.
Surely even a rhinoceros must feel this, I thought ! Eventu-

THE GREAT HERBIVORES 167

ally both I and my unruly friend the rhinoceros got tired, and
gradually the formidable creature recovered her senses and
became quiet. But our troubles were not yet at an end ; there
remained the still more difficult task of getting the animal out
of the van. The stable opened on to the street, so that we
were able to back the van up to the door. The animal had to
come out of the cart backwards, but this was a proceeding it
highly objected to, and the obstinate brute refused to budge an
inch. Eventually we fastened cords round each of her hind-
legs, and then drew the cords through a ring fastened to the
wall of the stable, the same thing being done with the halter-
rope and with the ropes attached to the forelegs, so that we
now had the animal to some extent in our power. As we
were hauling the brute out of the van, however, she fell once
more into a furious rage, and hurled herself against its sides.
She was, moreover, further maddened by the excitement of
the crowd which had collected around the stable to witness
so unusual a scene. Then I went round to the front of the
van and vigorously belaboured the rhinoceros with a cudgel ;
this had the desired effect, and we were at last able to get the
rebellious monster into the stable. This was the last time I
ever transported a rhinoceros in such a manner. I had had
enough of the experiment. For the journey to Hamburg I
caused an immense cage to be constructed, in which the
animal was not nearly so troublesome. This incident will
show the reader what sort of difficulties we have to encounter
when transporting wild beasts. The adventure might have
had a very serious termination.

Besides the common Indian rhinoceros and the African
rhinoceros, Rhinocei^os bicornis, I received towards the end
of the seventies the genuine Javan rhinoceros, Rhinoceros
soiidaiicus. In addition, on four different occasions the black
Sumatran rhinoceros came into my possession, although with
this latter animal I have always had very bad luck, for all
the five specimens which I purchased died of enteritis. Un-
like the Indian rhinoceros, which is always captured young —

i68 BEASTS AND MEN

after the mother has been driven off or killed — and brought
upon milk, the Sumatran rhinoceros is taken in pitfalls. This
species is often captured, but in captivity the animals are very
liable to die of the same complaint that killed off all my speci-
mens. There is a representative of this kind of rhinoceros
living in the Imperial Zoological Gardens at Schonbrunn, near
Vienna, and this one is, as far as I know, the only example
which has survived for any length of time in captivity. Another
rarity is the form Rhinoceros lasiotis, of which there was about
thirty years ago an example housed in the London Zoological
Gardens, where it lived for more than twenty years. The
common Indian rhinoceros and also the African rhinoceros
thrive excellently in captivity and in our climate ; I know
several of these animals which have lived for more than thirty
years in Zoological Gardens. They are also possessed of
great vitality. On several occasions I have known rhino-
ceroses break off their horns, without being in any way in-
jured ; the horn soon grows again, and in the course of a year
reaches quite a considerable size.

When they are young, rhinoceroses are very easy to tame.
The young animals which I formerly received from the
Egyptian Sudan were led loose through the desert, it being
found unnecessary to fasten them up in any way. After their
arrival in the laager they became speedily accustomed to
their black keeper, and would follow him about like dogs.
In the Nubian collection which I brought to the Berlin Zoo-
logical Gardens in the seventies there were three of these
young rhinoceroses, and I used to allow them to run about
loose, much to the amusement of the public. Great was the
delio-ht of the visitors when the keeper hid himself for a
joke, and the animals, uttering plaintive cries, began to search
for him.

It was some forty years ago that the first rhinoceros
was brought to Europe by my traveller, Cassanova. I
went to Trieste to take it over. I paid ;^8oo down for it,
being under the impression that I had thereby made a very

THE GREAT HERBIVORES

169

Young rhinoceros 0:1 board
ship.

good bargain. My hopes proved to be illusory, however, for
after much discussion the Zoo-
logical Society of London, from
whom I had expected to obtain
a very high price, refused to give
me more than ^i,ooo, and even
this sum they only offered me
under the condition that I should
deliver the animal in their Gar-
dens in a CTood state of health. I
did not even receive the purchase-
money in hard cash, but to the
extent of half the sum had to ac-
cept other animals in exchange for
my rhinoceros, so that altogether
I cleared very little profit out of the transaction.

I remember this rhinoceros well, for he came near to domg
me a nasty injury. He was quite a young animal and stood
only about thirty-two inches at the shoulder, but nevertheless
he blossomed out one day into a veritable athlete, a fact which
I remember the more because he challenged me to a match,
in which no doubt I should have come off second best had I
not thought discretion the better part of valour. On the
journey from Trieste to Vienna I travelled in the same com-
partment with the young rhinoceros, for, thinking him to be a
very especial treasure, I wished to take charge of him person-
ally. I was dozing comfortably in a corner, when I was
suddenly awakened by a pull, and saw that the young
rhinoceros had the tail of my coat in his mouth and was cheer-
fully sucking away at it. The animal appeared to find the
flavour pleasant, but the operation not being precisely bene-
ficial to my garment, I endeavoured, with all due politeness,
to free the coat from the young herbivore's jaws. The brute,
however, was not disposed to submit to this privation ; he
flew suddenly into a terrific rage, gave a shrill cry of anger,
and assaulted me with fury. I fully admit that I was not

I70 BEASTS AND MEN

over-anxious for a duel with the little monster, and indeed I
found the situation far from pleasant. With quite remarkable
agility I leaped over boxes and sacks to escape from the
formidable onset, and in so doing I upset a sack weighing
about 150 lb., which rolled into the rhinoceros's stall ; and
the animal, possibly mistaking the harmless sack for his
enemy, hurled it into the air as though it had been an india-
rubber ball. Not wishing to give our African guest any
opportunity of playing catch-ball with me, after the manner of
his game with the sack, I hastily changed my quarters and
completed the journey in safety. Later, when I was taking
this young rhinoceros to London, I had further proof of his
violent disposition. Being annoyed by the movements of his
cao'e while it was beino- taken ashore, he charged the wall and
split the thick planks as though they had been no stronger
than the wood of a cigar box. I then, however, covered the
entire cage in a cloth, which put the animal in darkness and
thus quieted him, and he eventually arrived safely at his
destination.

The hippopotamus is an even more bulky animal than its
relative the rhinoceros ; but nevertheless one of my travellers
on one occasion actually transported a specimen in an ordin-
ary travelling trunk. The story no doubt sounds slightly im-
probable and may perhaps remind the reader of the American
commercial traveller who journeyed with his trunk full^ — so he
asserted — of telegraph poles ! Yet on this occasion I am not
trying to presume upon the credulity of the public. Curiously
enough there occurred a considerable time ago an illustration
in a German comic journal^ — which is here reproduced — re-
presenting a traveller for my firm exhibiting samples of various
animals, all packed in this very fashion. The artist might
well be alluding to the incident of which I am here speaking,
for I did really receive a hippopotamus packed up as ordinary
luggage. The keeper whom I sent to Bordeaux to receive
the animal transported it simply in a large travelling trunk,
which he registered to Hamburo- as lu""ofao^e ! The beast

THE GREAT HERBIVORES

171

was a female hailing from the west coast of Africa, and
weighed, it is true, only eighty pounds. The trunk, with its
unusual contents, was delivered safely in Hamburg, and the
hippopotamus is now to be seen in the Zoological Gardens at
Hanover.

It does not do to play with these great animals, for, like
rhinoceroses, they are liable to violent fits of ill temper and
are then extremely dangerous. Indeed, they are (as I have
previously remarked when describing the methods of captur-
ing the beasts) much less tractable than rhinoceroses, and do not

^'^ad"'

■■^'- \; J--T-'

V J * / ' "^

r^2j

" My name is Schmidt. I am travelling for the firm of Hagenbeck. Permit me to

show you my samples."

usually conceive that strong affection for their keepers which
is so commonly to be observed in the case of the latter
animals. The transport of these creatures is often a most
difficult, not to say dangerous, operation. I once had an
adventure with a female hippopotamus, much resembling the
little incident with the rhinoceros at the London docks. It
occurred about twenty -five years ago. I had just purchased
the hippopotamus in question in South Germany, and on the
animal's arrival at Hamburg it was, of course, necessary to
transfer it from the wao-oron to the stable which was to be its
home. The usual method of procedure — the cosmopolitan

172 BEASTS AND MEN

language — was first tried, but the lady, having not only a
thick hide but also a thick head, obstinately refused to come
out. She merely approached the door, and snapped at the
delicacies offered her, then retired once more into the
waggon. This sort of foolery continued for several hours,
until at last I lost all patience with the brute and ordered two
of my people, whilst I once more enticed her to the door with
a handful of food, to belabour her from the rear. Seeing the
food, the cow once again came to the door, but on being hit
from behind, instead of coming right out, she turned round in
a fury, and charged the barrier dividing her from her assail-
ants with such force that this gave way and fell with a crash,
burying the two keepers beneath it. The hippopotamus was
about to follow up her advantage, when I sprang to the
rescue and gave her a tremendous kick with my right foot.
The result of this was to turn her attention to myself, and
with a snort of rao^e she came at me with a rush. I ran — ran
as I had never run before — and fled into the stable prepared
for the hippopotamus, the infuriated beast following with wide-
open jaws. Springing across the bath, I made my escape
through the bars, which were very wide apart — but only just
in time ! Outside, I rushed round to the door of the stall and
quickly closed it — the hippopotamus was secured ! I have
always regretted that there was no photographic^ — or better,
cinematographic — camera on the spot to preserve the doubt-
less highly comical sight of my panic-stricken flight from the
hippopotamus cow.

Hippopotami thrive excellently in captivity and have bred
in many Zoological Gardens, among others in London,
Amsterdam, Antwerp and St. Petersburg. The act of
mating takes place in the water, the animals becoming
sexually mature in the fifth year. It is a pretty sight to see
the mother playing in the water with her baby, or, when the
little one is tired, giving it a ride upon her back. As I have
said, the animals are usually somewhat bad tempered through-
out their lives and are apt to be irritable, but of course the

THE GREAT HERBIVORES 173

characters of different individuals vary. They sometimes be-
come quite tame. I remember a pair of full-grown hippo-
potami which I saw in a circus in America, and which were
as gentle and well behaved as could possibly be desired.
The American circuses are in the habit of carrying out great
parades through the streets, and on such occasions these two
hippopotami used to walk quite loose by the side of their
keeper, nor did any accident ever occur.

The other species of the genus Hippopotamus is the dwarf
hippopotamus, which inhabits Liberia. In the sixties a young
specimen of this animal, which weighed not quite thirty pounds,
was taken to Dublin, but it survived only a few weeks. This
was the only representative of the dwarf hippopotamus which
has ever been brought to Europe.

The last of the giant herbivores whose ways in captivity
I have to describe is the giraffe. There is probably no
animal which created such a stir when first brought to Europe
as did the oriraffe. Now that the beast is such a common
inmate of Zoological Gardens that many town-bred lads are
more familiar with it than they are with cows or pigs, it
is difficult to realise the astonishment of the public when
they first saw this grotesque creature, looking like Gulliver
among the Lilliputians. It may readily be imagined that
when these ungulates first arrived in Europe they caused no
little embarrassment to their owners ; for instance, if they
were not to be left out of doors at night some stable must
be found in which to house them — but where and how it
was difficult to see, for all the stables available were too small
and too low. Even when this obstacle has been overcome,
and stables high enough have been provided, the animals are
still liable to a peculiar and painful kind of accident. The
giraffe's long neck is no doubt highly advantageous to the
creature in the wild state — for, as is well known, it is thereby
enabled to reach a plentiful supply of the leaves of trees upon
which it feeds- — but in captivity it is apt to prove a very
awkward possession. One morning in the summer of 1876

174

BEASTS AND MEN

three of my giraffes were found lying helpless on the ground,
still livinof it is true, but all with broken necks. The stable
was high and wide enough, yet evidently the animals must
have driven their heads against the walls, perhaps during a
rumpus, and in that way broken the fragile cervical vertebrae.
On two other occasions I experienced similar misfortunes.

Giraffes.

and of course in all cases there was nothing to be done but
at once to put an end to the poor beasts.

Young giraffes are liable to be attacked by a peculiar dis-
ease, which is in all probability connected with the change of
food that they undergo during their period of acclimatisation.
The knees become swollen, and the animals eventually become
bandy-legged and lame in their forelegs, and as a rule die
within a year. Occasionally, however, they do recover ; for

THE GREAT HERBIVORES 175

example, there is now living in one of the Duke of Bedford's
English parks a giraffe which three years ago was affected
with the disease. Although the precise cause of this ailment
has not as yet been definitely ascertained, the trouble has now
been overcome, for we have adopted a new method of feeding
which appears to keep the animals immune from its attacks.
At all events, since then, we have lost no more specimens from
this cause.

Giraffes in general are certainly not delicate animals.
Various menagreries, amono- others that of the elder Kreutz-
berg, have travelled about for years with giraffes, the beasts
apparently suffering in no way from their wandering life. A
specimen, which I sold to Barnum, withstood the hardships
of travelling in a tent circus for as long as eight years, and
would undoubtedly have lived much longer still, if it had not
been killed in an accident. Furthermore, these lonof-leo-o-ed
mammals will breed very readily in captivity ; to my know-
ledge, they have done so in the Zoological Gardens in Lon-
don, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, and Hamburg, the
most recent births beino- in London, Berlin and Cologne.

The first giraffes that were ever seen in Europe were
sent over by the Viceroy of Egypt in the summer of 1827 as
gifts to the British and French Governments, and were lodged
in the London Zoological Gardens and in the Jardin des
Plantes at Paris. For some years after this there were not
very many giraffes imported, only an occasional example
arriving in Europe, but later on, especially during the decade
1 867- 1 877, the number brought from the Sudan was very
large. In the year 1876 I myself received no fewer than
thirty -five specimens, and I, of course, was not the only im-
porter. There was, for instance, another firm which exported
from Africa twenty-six specimens. The result of this was
that the price for these "goods" sunk deplorably, and
it became necessary to decrease the importation. A year
later I sold the last three young giraffes in my stock to an
Englishman for the ridiculous price of ^^150. Not long after

176

BEASTS AND MEN

this, the excessive importation of these creatures was put a
stop to by the outbreak of the war against the Mahdi, but
unfortunately, as the reader already knows, it became at the
same time almost impossible to capture any other animals
whatsoever in that part of Africa.

CHAPTER VII.

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY.

There is no class of animal that excites such general dislike
as snakes. Rudyard Kipling has well expressed the universal
abhorrence of these creatures in the story of Mogli in the
subterranean vaults of the rattle-snake, when he wished to
have nothing to do with the "poison people". They are a
friendless and isolated group ; and in all parts of the world
every man's hand is turned against them.

On one occasion — it was the summer of 1874 — ^I well
remember the commotion that ensued in my menagerie when
a gigantic snake escaped from its cage. The reptile was a
somewhat feeble specimen of python, which had recently
arrived from Africa in poor condition. It had been ordered
a warm bath, and for this purpose had been conveyed to a
tub which stood in the carnivore house. The tub had a
lid, over which was a cloth cover, so that when once the
animal had been inserted there seemed little danger of its
escaping. But escape it did. After I had seen it comfortably
stowed away in the tub I went to my office to do some writ-
ing. About a couple of hours later I was startled by the
alarming news that the snake had escaped and was at that
very moment crawling about among the cages of the apes and
parrots, which in those early days found their abode in the
carnivore house. I ran quickly to the spot, and the confusion
which I found there would be difficult to describe. Every
animal in the carnivore house without exception was in a state
•of abject terror. They could see nothing and think of nothing
but the escaped reptile. The lions, panthers, and other great

177 12

178 BEASTS AND MEN

beasts were springing about tlieir cages as though they had
suddenly gone mad, dashing themselves against the bars with
loud roaring or mewing. The apes and parrots were shriek-
ing, so that the din was hideous.

To catch the snake was no easy matter. Its warm bath
had given it so much vitality that for a long time it eluded
all our efforts to capture it. In vain did we throw a cloth
over it ; each time it quickly wriggled out from underneath and
we had to pursue it again. At last we got a net which I
often used for taking monkeys or small carnivores out of their
cages, and this we threw over the serpent's head. He bit
savagely at it and soon made large holes in it ; but the
manoeuvre gave me time to grip him by the back of the neck,
and very shortly, with the help of several keepers, and by
exerting our utmost strength, we got him safely packed into
the net and transferred to a secure cage. The excitement in
the carnivore house gradually subsided, and peace reigned
there once more.

The apprehension excited among the animals by the
escape of this reptile points to an instinct which is very valu-
able to them in wild nature. For no animal is more danger-
ous, none requires to be treated with greater caution, than a
snake. With the poisonous kinds, this is readily understood ;
but even the non-poisonous kinds, especially when large,
are very dangerous, for they possess prodigious muscular
strength and bite fiercely whenever they are irritated. They
are exceedingly ferocious. Of the many animals which at one
time or another have endangered my life, snakes have been
the sinners much the most frequently. Often as I have been
bitten or scratched by various animals, I have suffered far more
from snakes than from anything else. I have known many
thousands of them and acquired an intimate knowledge of their
habits and disposition. I have even had to fight with them
almost as in a wrestlinor match. It is said that in Borneo the
natives are frequently attacked and devoured by giant
serpents, and from what I have seen of their capacity for

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY

179

dealing- with large prey I have no doubt that a full-grown
Borneo python could easily swallow a man. Any snake of
from eighteen to twenty feet long is strong enough to squeeze
a man to death if only it can get him properly encircled in its
coils.

Some years ago a controversy was started in the English
newspapers as to what length snakes might run to. It was
alleged that there were kinds which reached thirty or forty
feet, and one traveller offered to produce one in support of his
statement if anybody would pay ^500 for it. As I happened
to know that the largest snake ever seen was only twenty-
six feet long, I thought I was justified in entering into
this controversy ; and through the agency of my English
friends I offered not ^500 but ;^ 1,000 to any one who should
bring to Hamburg a live and healthy snake thirty feet long-
Up to the present time no such snake has arrived.

The voracity of snakes is quite extraordinary. Until
lately I had been accustomed to feed these creatures on fairly
small animals, but a short time ago I gave to one of my
Borneo giants a Chinese dwarf hog weighing fully fifty
pounds, and this was demolished by the serpent in three-
quarters of an
hour. Soon after
I had a further
exhibition of the
gastronomic ca-
pacity of snakes.
On this occasion
the creature was
an extremely
large one, about
twenty-five feet
long. I gave him
a goat weigh-
ing thirty - one
pounds which I thought would provide him with a pretty hearty

12 *

After dinner.

i8o BEASTS AND MEN

meal, but he made nothing of it. A few hours later he
swallowed a buck of forty-three pounds which had been
refused by three other snakes, the swallowing process being
completed in half an hour. But even this did not satisfy
his appetite. About a week later I had to destroy a Siberian
goat weighing fifty-two pounds, and after cutting off the
horns, I threw the carcase into the reptile's den. Neither I
nor the keeper imagined that the snake would be able to
swallow so large an animal ; but when I returned an hour
later I found that it had already been partially swallowed, the
head being half-way down the monster's throat. I quickly
sent for a photographer, and by the time he arrived half the
goat had already disappeared. The effort of swallowing was
evidently very great. From time to time the snake emitted
deep groans such as I had never heard before ; but slowly
the prey continued to vanish. When only a small part of the
hind quarters was left projecting from the serpent's jaws I
had the photograph taken. A minute after, the snake, which
had been swallowing its victim for two hours, brought it all up
again. Whether it had been frightened by the process of
photographing, or whether it had taxed its powers too severely,
I cannot say.

With a view to discovering the effects upon the animal
which had been swallowed and then brought up again, I had
it dissected on the following day. It was found that the
goat's neck had been twisted completely out of its articula-
tions. The ribs had been so pressed that they had all
broken off from the vertebrae. From this, some idea can be
obtained of the immense strength of these great creatures.

Snakes do not begin to swallow their prey until they have
killed it, which usually takes them a very short time. They
always make for the head, and with lightning rapidity coil
round the body of their prey. They then seize the head in
their jaws and wring the animal's neck. They keep firm
hold upon the animal until the absence of any movement
shows that it is quite dead. The feast then commences. In

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY i8i

the case of large animals the snake first of all covers the head
with saliva so as to make it easy to swallow. It then en-
circles the animal with its tail-end and gradually presses it
downwards into its mouth, at the same time moving its jaws
to and fro. In swallowing, the snake's jaws distend like an
india-rubber bag, and to an extent which, unless seen, ap-
pears incredible. Now and then the snake will pause for
as long as ten or twelve minutes for a rest. These pauses
I particularly noticed in the case of the reptile swallowing
the Siberian groat as above recorded. Since this incident I
have seen a case even more remarkable, in which another
snake devoured a goat weighing ninety-three pounds in
about an hour and a half.

When one looks through the glass fronts of their cages
and sees them apparently so lazy and devoid of vitality, it is
difficult to imagine the great strength and swiftness which all
these animals possess. In spite of the great precautions
which one always has to take in dealing with snakes,
there still remains a considerable element of dang-er when
anything has to be done with them, I have had many
hundreds of giant snakes through my hands, in the most
literal sense, in the course of my life, and have often been
bitten by them. It is, however, not the bite of these large
creatures that is most to be feared, but their powerful mus-
cular coils.

A very serious adventure, in which the reptiles appeared
in all their native savagery, occurred at Stellingen in the early
summer of 1904. We were preparing to pack up four great
specimens of the species Python reticulatus, varying in length
from twenty to twenty-six feet, to be sent to the St. Louis
Exhibition. My son Heinrich, having made all the necessary
preparations, went to open the door of the cage, but no sooner
had he opened it than the four reptiles, as though by a pre-
arranged plan, flew at him with wide-open jaws. One of them
very nearly succeeded in coiling itself round him in spite of
his efforts, and if it had succeeded his death would have been

1 82 BEASTS AND MEN

a certainty. But he defended himself vigorously, and I my-
self and a keeper running to his aid, helped him with all our
strength in his struggle against the monster. But it was some
minutes before we finally succeeded in freeing him. The others
we secured with some little difficulty by the aid of the usual
woollen coverings and sacks ; but even this was accomplished
only at the cost of much time and some danger. The largest
ot them, a savage monster weighing quite 200 lb., took up his
position on a rafter at the top of the cage and fixed himself
there firmly with his tail-end, while with his head-end he made
savage bites at his opponents. When once we had thrown
the sack over his head our next proceeding was to unloosen
the tail-end which was tightly fixed to the rafter. We had to
secure further assistance to muster the strength necessary for
this purpose. But even then the fight was not over. No
sooner had we, with great effort, got the tail-end loose than
the monster orot it twisted round Heinrich's riQ;ht leof-, and with
irresistible force began to twine itself higher and higher up his
body. It was indeed a life-and-death struggle which then en-
sued, but by exerting all our might we at last succeeded in
tearing away the reptile and forcing it into a sack. The work
of overpowering these four monsters was one that I shall not
easily forget.

Skill in dealing with these dangerous animals can only be
obtained by dint of many experiments, some of which are
successful and others not. I. remember one episode which
helped me to acquire some experience of my own. In the
early seventies a ship coming from Brazil brought to Ham-
burg a couple of boa-constrictors. When I went on board
for the purpose of looking at them, the steward told me that
they were lying inanimate in their cage and were certainly
dead. On inspecting the animals it appeared that the
steward's estimate was correct. They had been kept all night
in an open cage in the captain's cabin ; and, although it was
the middle of December, no sort of heating or shelter from
the cold had been attempted. The snakes had in fact been

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY 183

frozen. The captain, who arrived at the moment and saw
the lifeless condition of the creatures, ordered them to be
thrown overboard. I requested, however, to be allowed to
make an attempt to revive them, and, having received the
captain's permission, wrapt them in a rug and carried them
off I took them home to our house in Spielbudenplatz, and
there shook them out on the floor ; but my father was as in-
credulous as the captain with regard to the possibility of bring-
ing them to life. Nevertheless I thouo-ht I would make the
experiment, so I laid the two snakes in front of the stove
which was situated in our aviary and went upstairs to my own
rooms. After about an hour a violent commotion took place
amono- the birds, and on runnino^ downstairs I found the
spot before the stove deserted and the two reptiles taking a
constitutional round the room. As I was trying . to secure
them a strange coincidence occurred. The door opened and
in walked old Kreutzberg, who had just arrived from Russia,
and wished to purchase some snakes for his menagerie. With
his help the animals were quickly secured, and, ten minutes
later, they had passed into the possession of Kreutzberg for a
sum of eighty Prussian thalers (^12). Thus there came an
unexpected windfall to two persons — to my father, who in
the afternoon heard that the dead snakes had come to life
again and were sold for a good price, and to the captain, who
received next day an unexpected forty thalers as his share in
the transaction.

In the course of further experience I have learnt that it is
no uncommon thing for snakes to come to life again in this
remarkable manner, but there is a limit beyond which their
endurance cannot be taxed. I remember a case in point,
which occurred in March 1883, when I had purchased in
England 165 giant serpents for a figure exceeding ^1,000,
The snakes were shipped from London to Hamburg, but,
as ill-luck would have it, a severe north-easterly gale was
encountered during the crossing, and the vessel had to put
back to Gravesend for the purpose of recoaling. At last she

i84 BEASTS AND MEN

started again, but it was seven days before the snakes arrived
in Hamburg ; and at that time of year seven days on the
North Sea is naturally a great strain upon animals accustomed
to tropical climates. I had a premonition that the affair would
turn out badly, and so it happened ; for on their arrival at
Hamburo- the whole collection were dead. I hastened with
them to my establishment and applied all known means of
revivifying them, but in vain. It was too late. Not one was
saved. When I mention that I lost over this transaction not
only the ^i,ooo paid for the snakes, but a great deal more
for which I had already sold them in advance to America, it
will be readily understood that my sorrow at the affair was
genuine.

If the non-poisonous snakes are dangerous, the poisonous
snakes are, of course, much more so. In handling these I am
always uncommonly careful, and whenever any of them reach
my establishment among a collection of animals, I always
pass them on to their next destination as quickly as circum-
stances will permit. The first adventure which I had with
the "poison people" was in the sixties, when a case of puff-
adders arrived for us and was brought to the house. The
case was a large flat one, made of wire netting covered round
with wooden boards. It was impossible to keep them in this
case, and I was therefore confronted with the problem of
changing them into a new one. I thought I should be able
simply to shake them out from the old cage into the new ;
and with this intent I tore away a portion of the side of the
old cage. But they were not to be transferred so easily.
They darted to the opening, but instead of passing over into
the other cage they endeavoured to get away sideways.
Nothing could persuade them to go into the new cage, and
at one moment two of the reptiles very nearly escaped. I
was so horrified at this possibility that I gingerly shook them
back into the old cage and pressed the new one against
the opening so as to block it up. I then with some little
difficulty managed to fasten up again the hole which I had

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY 185

made. I had by this time had enough of the job for one day,
and the next day when I applied myself to the task once
more I devised a new plan for effecting the change. I tore
off the boards which surrounded the wire netting in the old
cage, and in the wire netting itself I bored a small four-
cornered hole, against which I placed the opening of the new
cage — an opening which was capable of being closed by
means of a sliding door. The new cage was in darkness ;
and the old cage, now that the boards had been removed from
it, was flooded with light. Now it is a peculiarity of snakes
that they all like to crawl away into the darkest corners they
can find ; and after an hour all the puff-adders, eight in number,
had gone across into the new cage. I then merely closed
the slidingf door and the transference had been effected.
Since that time, when they so nearly escaped, I have always
had a holy horror of poisonous snakes.

The bite ot a rattle-snake is exceedingly poisonous ; and
I have observed that white rats given them for food usually
die within half a minute of being bitten. This is, however, by
no means invariable. Under natural conditions out of doors
it sometimes happens that the weak and unprotected creature
will overcome one much more powerful and better armed. I
have known a case in which a rattle-snake was killed by a
rat given it for food. The rat was put in the cage one even-
ing, and when we came round next morning we found the
rattle-snake lying dead, and the rat sitting triumphantly in a
corner of the cage. He had even commenced to make a
meal off the body of the formidable reptile. An examination
of the marks upon the dead snake's body showed that the rat
must have sprung suddenly upon the nape of its neck and,
having planted its teeth firmly there, held on tightly until the
rattle-snake died. A large piece had been taken out of the
animal's neck which the rat had devoured. After this experi-
ence we never again used wild rats as food for snakes.

Fights between snakes for food are not uncommon, and
in the course of these fights it very often happens that the

1 86 BEASTS AND MEN

larger snake will swallow not only the food but the smaller
snake also at the same time. Snakes are guilty of a senseless,
one might almost say mechanical, gluttony. Of this I had
interesting evidence in an episode which occurred near the be-
ginning of the seventies, when we were still at Spielbuden-
platz. At that place we kept our snakes in large dark cages
heated from below by hot-water pipes. We used, moreover,
to keep the animals wrapt up in rugs, which were only removed
when they were being fed. One day we received a boa-con-
strictor about eleven feet long — a very large size for this
species, of which (contrary to the popular idea) I have never
seen a specimen of more than thirteen feet. Immediately on
his arrival I gave him a large rabbit, which he ate during the
night. Thinking that he had had enough for the present I
gave him nothing the next night, but left him as usual wrapt up
in the rug. He apparently mistook the rug for food, for he
attempted to swallow it. When I came next morning I found
half the rug down the animal's throat. The animal itself was
suffocated and quite dead.

I have never aoain come across an instance of so strange
a death, but I have often lost snakes through their savage
fights for prey. About ten years ago I gave a rabbit to a
couple of yellow pythons, one nine feet and the other seven
feet lono-. The next morninor I found that the nine-foot
python had swallowed not only the rabbit but the seven-foot
python as well. From later observation I infer that both
snakes must have attacked the rabbit at the same time, one
at the head and the other at the tail. Both then proceeded
to swallow the rabbit from opposite ends, and in this way the
smaller snake was swallowed as a sort of continuation of the
rabbit by the larger one. I could easily see on the following
morning the outline of the smaller, in the body of the larger
snake.

The power of digestion possessed by snakes is perfectly
extraordinary. The most remarkable case of heavy feeding
which has come under my observation occurred about ten

Snake gnawed by a rat.

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY 189

years ago at Neuer Pferdemarkt, when an Indian python, only
fourteen feet long, swallowed four lambs within twenty-four
hours, each weighing from twelve to nineteen pounds and
possessing horns several inches long. After this performance
the snake was so swollen by the gas evolved in its interior
by the semi-digested lambs that it burst open for a length of
about a foot, the two edges yawning apart to a width of a
couple of inches. This meal took about ten days to digest,
and on the eleventh day the snake took another lamb. The
woollen parts were thrown out in compact balls ; whilst the
horns and hoofs passed through the snake's body unchanged.

Ten days is a comparatively brief period for the digestion
of its food by a snake. I remember the case of a giant
serpent which had eaten a hog ; the signs of digestion actually
did not commence for four weeks and were not completed
until ten weeks later. That pigs are found by snakes rather
hard to digest I have other evidence. Some time ago two
very large Borneo snakes arrived at my garden, having ac-
complished safely a long voyage direct from Singapore.
One of them was twenty-five feet long and weighed 248 lbs.
I concluded from their savageness that they had not been in
captivity very long, and in this belief I was justified a week
later by finding among their excrement the tusks and hoofs
of a wild boar. This must have been food which they had
caught when still in a state of freedom.

Correlated with the capacity for consuming enormous
quantities of food is the capacity for going for long periods
without any food at all. In the wild state it must often
happen that snakes for many weeks together are unable to
catch any prey that is suitable to them, and hence it is neces-
sary for their preservation that when they do catch food they
shall be able to consume it in large quantities. Animals in
captivity, which have taken their food regularly week by
week, will suddenly cease to take it and fast for more than
six months. In the Zoological Gardens at Amsterdam the
former director, Dr. Westermann, who has now been dead

I90 BEASTS AND MEN

for a long time, recorded the case of a snake which ate no-
thing for two whole years, but then began to take food quite
cheerfully again and lived for many years afterwards in the
Gardens. This animal was a Brazilian water-snake, Eunectes
murinus.

I myself have had a very similar experience. On this
occasion the animal was a dark Indian python about sixteen
feet long, which was in very good condition when it came
into my hands, but would eat nothing and fasted for a period
of two years and a month. During this time it drank large
quantities of water, but the effects of starvation soon became
apparent. The creature shrank until it was little more than
a skeleton of skin and bones. After this long period I
thought it time to intervene. So I took a pigeon and moist-
ened it in warm water ; and then, seizing the python by the
nape of the neck, I opened its jaws and forced the pigeon
down its throat for a distance of about a foot. The rest the
snake managed for itself, and one could see the pigeon
gradually slipping down the reptile's body. With eating the
creature showed signs of returning appetite. That same even-
ing I placed a live pigeon in the cage, and the snake after a
short time killed and began to devour it. But its strength was
so exhausted that it was unable to swallow the bird unaided ;
and I had to assist by using a sort of ramrod, with which I
slowly pushed the pigeon down the python's throat. We
then left another pigeon in the cage, but the remedy had been
applied too late, and the next morning we found the snake
lying dead with the pigeon in its jaws. It had expired in
attempting to swallow its prey.

Snakes eat most readily in bright weather and will seldom
touch anything when the air is oppressive. The most import-
ant point in their management is to secure proper warmth and
ventilation in their cages. The temperature should not be
permitted to fall below 72° F. and may well be a few degrees
higher. If a proper temperature is not provided, the snakes
refuse to eat and they catch colds, which take the form of a

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY 191

scurvy of the mouth. All that it is necessary to do under
these circumstances is to place them in a warm cage with a
large water bath, in which they will lie for weeks with only the
tips of their noses above the surface. The water has a cura-
tive effect upon the mouth, the purulent parts becoming
loosened so that the reptiles can shake them off, and in this
way snakes have been cured in which large pieces of the jaws
had already been eaten away.

A good deal is yet to be learnt with regard to the breed-
ing of snakes ; but I am looking forward to making some ex-
periments in this line during the next few years at my animal
park at Stellingen. Young snakes come into the world in
two different ways. The boa-constrictors and other Indian
snakes lay eggs and hatch them out. The water-snakes, on the
other hand, do not lay eggs but bear living young. About
fifteen years ago I had an opportunity of observing the course
of events in one of these latter cases. The mother was an
Eunectes mtirimis, which is one of the largest species of
Brazilian snakes, and is said to attain to as much as twenty
feet in length. The one that I possessed was fifteen feet
long, and after I had had her a few months she was delivered
of a family of forty-eight children. I was unable to take the
news to the lucky father, for he had been left behind in the
forests of Brazil. But the story had a tragic termination,
for they all died on being born. I have also had some ex-
perience of the oviparous kinds, especially in the case of a
certain dark python which had laid an enormous number of
eggs. She used to lie coiled around these, and whenever I
approached the nest three or four young ones would shoot
out their heads angrily at me from among the eggs. Out of
a total of about fifty eggs the snake succeeded in hatching
twenty-one while the rest became dried up. The young
snakes were fond of returning to their egg-shells after they
had been born. They used them as nests, and if they came
out at all, only did so to crawl round for a few minutes and
then return. The feeding was a matter of some difficulty.

192 BEASTS AND MEN

They would not touch frogs, but when I put some young
white mice into their cage they seized, killed and swallowed
them in the same way as the adults do. Eventually I sold
the whole family to the Jardin d' Acclimatisation in Paris,
where, however, proper care was not taken of them and they
soon died. They were then stuffed and mounted with their
egg-shells ; and are still on view for any one who likes to go
and see them.

I made another attempt at breeding snakes in the year
1904, when I received indirectly from Singapore a very large
Python reticulatus which in the course of its journey had laid
no fewer than 103 eggs. Of these eighty-eight were hatched,
and I purchased the entire family ; but only thirty-three
reached me alive, measuring about eighteen inches each.
Some I gave away, others refused their food and died, until
at last I had only sixteen individuals left. These I treated
with the utmost possible care, feeding them on sparrows and
mice. At first they seemed to do well, but eventually every
one of them died from convulsions. I think the cause of their
illness must have been an insufficient supply of fresh air ; for
among all living beings fresh air is one of the most essential
conditions for the maintenance of good health. They all died
within a few days of each other, and the catastrophe was the
more regrettable in that up till that time they had thriven
excellently, three already measuring over four feet, and one of
these over five feet, in length.

The intelligence of snakes has been in my opinion greatly
exaggerated. It is true that the frequency with which snake-
charmers are to be met would seem to indicate a certain de-
gree of educability in the animals ; but I should be very
sceptical as to the possibility of snakes approaching in this
respect any of the higher animals. I do not think that the
snake-charmer can enter into the same friendly relation with
his pupils that trainers can do among the apes, ungulates, and
carnivores. Of course they have some capacity for learning
tricks, but their main characteristics seem to be gluttony, lazi-

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY

193

ness and an exceedingly bad temper. In diis respect I draw
no distinction between the different species of snakes ; they
all seem to me pretty much alike.

Snake-charmers cannot do nearly as much as they pretend
and are popularly supposed to do. The common belief that
they work with the cobra or Indian spectacled snake is en-
tirely erroneous. It may be true in the case of some of the
native Indian snake-charmers, but their European confreres
work almost exclusively with the young of the giant serpents,
sometimes the Indian python and sometimes the South
American boa. The
public are so little
acquainted with the
differences between
different kinds of
snakes, that they often
think that the snake-
charmer is handling a
very poisonous crea-
ture, when in reality
the animal belongs to
a perfectly harmless
species. The charmer
does all that he can
to encourage this idea,
but at the same time
he takes very good
care never to have
anything to do with
any poisonous snake,

unless or until its Indian snake-charmer.

poison fangs have been removed. But even then he has
to be pretty careful, for the poison fangs grow again, and
unless he watches them closely he will run considerable risk.
A poison snake from which the fangs have been removed
is much more harmless than an ordinary giant snake, even

13

194 BEASTS AND MEN

though quite young ; for, the poison fangs being the only
weapons which these creatures possess in nature, they are
wholly disabled by their removal, whereas the non-poisonous
snakes are endowed with other weapons of defence, with
which they can at any time give a good account of themselves.
Their bite is much more severe than that of the poisonous
kinds, and by their habit of coiling round their enemy, a snake
eighteen feet long can squeeze a strong man sufficiently to
put his life in danger from suffocation.

So-called snake tricks are very easily contrived. As a
rule they consist of nothing more than letting the animal
suddenly out of darkness into a strong light, when it will fly
up in anger and appear to threaten its master. The display
is then concluded by playing music, with which the snake
seems to be calmed ; for snakes, in common with all other
animals, are very sensitive to the effects of music. I do not
suggest that they would appreciate the Moonlight Sonata as
much as they would a rabbit, but nevertheless it is undeni-
able that they derive real pleasure from listening to music.

As we are now on the subject of venomous snakes I may
take the opportunity of relating a method by which the poison
may be extracted from these animals. I learnt the method
from a learned Indian, by name Mr. Docton, who was em-
ployed at the time in the Zoological Gardens at Bombay.
From a cagfe of venomous snakes he took out the animals
one by one with the aid of an iron bar twisted at the end into
a hook. When this hook was placed round the snake's body
the animal could be lifted up by means of it ; for the cobra,
which is the common venomous snake of India, and of which
I am here writing, does not possess the power which other
snakes possess of twisting round a smooth rod, but just hangs
loosely from the hook. Having lifted it out of the cage, Mr.
Docton laid it on the ground, at the same time pinning it
down with a forked stick by the nape of the neck. The
poison is now extracted by the following method : An as-
sistant brings a mussel shell, of which the concave side is

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY 195

covered with a green leaf, and places this green leaf immedi-
ately in front of the serpent's mouth. By pressing the back
of the animal's neck with the fingers it can be made to open
its jaws and bite deeply into the leaf. When killing their
prey snakes use only a small portion of the poison which
their fangs contain, but when subjected to pressure in the
manner above described, they eject their whole supply, which,
passing through the holes in the leaf made by the bite, collects
in the hollow of the mussel shell beneath. By the employment
of this method it has been found that the collected poison of
a hundred cobras in the dried state amounts to no more than
four oframmes. This would be sufficient to kill several hundred
large mammals or several thousand men — so concentrated
and so virulent is the poison. A reptile which has been
deprived of its poison in this manner takes about a week
to renew its supply.

Mr. Docton also made experiments as to the practicability
of conferring immunity from the effects of snake poison by
administering small but gradually increasing injections of the
liquid. On this point he completely established his case.
It was found possible to render monkeys immune within a
period of six months ; and, taking into consideration the well-
known similarity between the reactions of monkeys and men,
there seems no reason to doubt that a similar immunity might
easily be conferred upon human beings. It has not yet been
ascertained whether immunity from the poison of one species
of snake would carry with it immunity from the poisons of all
other species ; but any such general immunity appears im-
probable, and for the following reason. When two snakes
of the same species attack one another they remain unaffected
by each other's poison, but when the reptiles are of different
species they rapidly succumb to each other's bites. This
statement, which I make on the authority of Mr. Docton
and which I firmly believe to be true, seems to indicate a
great difference in the quality of the poisons of the different
species. The dried snake poison is of a yellowish-green

13*

196

BEASTS AND MEN

colour and is composed of crystalline bodies. It has been
bought chiefly by Dr. Fraser of Edinburgh and Dr. Moeller
of Australia, and I hope before long that the results of their
experiments will be published.

All this that I have related with regfard to snakes orives
some colour of truth to many of those Oriental snake stories
which date back several thousand years. There seems no

Indian jugglers.

inherent improbability in the tale of Mithridates the king,
who made himself gradually immune against all the poisons
known in his day by taking slowly increasing quantities of
them. For the same reason I am not inclined to disbelieve
the stories about Indian jugglers who work with venomous
snakes in which the fanes have not been removed. From
their youngest childhood they have been made immune by
the use of snake poison, so that when they have grown up

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY 197

they suffer no danger even from the bite of an adult cobra
with all its poison apparatus in full working order. The saliva
of such immune persons is said to act almost like an antitoxin ;
and it is related that lives have been saved by rubbing it into
the wounds caused by bites. But for the truth of this story
I cannot be responsible. I merely set it down for what it
may be worth.

Let us pass now from snakes to another kind of reptile no
less formidable or repulsive — I mean the crocodile. Since in
my youth I was bitten by one of these animals I have always
stood in a wholesome fear of them. On this occasion the
bite nearly ended in a very serious manner. It did not at
first appear to be serious. The crocodile, which was about
two feet long, nipped my right hand and I foolishly took no
notice of it ; but about three hours afterwards my hand began
to swell and the swelling spread up the arm, attended with
great pain. I sat up all night washing the wound with ice-
cold water and bathing the arm, and on the next morning
when I sent for a physician I learned that this treatment alone
had probably been instrumental in saving my arm. The
swelling slowly disappeared, but the memory of it has remained.

Since that time more than two thousand crocodiles have
passed through my hands at one time or another, but I have
carefully avoided running the risk of any further accident.
On one occasion, however, in spite of my precautions, an in-
cident occurred which nearly cost me my life. I was engaged
in packing up twenty alligators to be exhibited at Dusseldorf,
among a large collection of other reptiles, in the Zoological
Gardens at that place. The alligators were from six to ten
feet long, and I was removing them one by one from the
basin for the purpose of packing them. As I was taking out
the seventh, it suddenly gave me such a terrific blow with its
tail that I was precipitated into the water into the very midst
of the savage reptiles. The thing happened so quickly that
it took the alligators some moments to recover from their sur-
prise, and I took advantage of this brief interval to clamber

198 BEASTS AND MEN

with lightning speed out of the basin. If one of the animals
had attacked me the rest would have followed suit and I
should have been done for. I know from personal experience
that when these creatures have secured prey, they all seize it
in their jaws and try to tear it away from each other. My
fate would, indeed, have been unenviable.

Though I myself have never fallen into the clutches of these
animals, I have witnessed them engaging in fights among
themselves of the most savage and merciless description.
When once an alligator has seized an enemy it will not leave
go, even though its head be broken to pieces. I saw such a
fio^ht in the eigrhties when we had received a consiofnment of
nearly 300 alligators, mostly from one to four feet in length, but
including half a dozen which measured from ten to twelve feet.
All these animals, having been kept ever since their capture
in small cages, had become extremely ill tempered, and it was
necessary to observe the utmost caution in dealing with them.
I took the boxes and placed them one by one in the en-
closure destined for the reptiles. When each box had been
placed in the enclosure I tore oft the boards at the head-end
of it, and by prodding the animal's tail with a stick induced it
to walk out. The first alligator walked quietly out of his box
and into the pond ; so did the next three, and all seemed to
be going smoothly. But as the fifth and sixth were released
they rushed upon one another without any apparent reason
and engaged in a desperate encounter. In a few minutes the
whole basin was a compact knot of snarling animals biting
savagely at each other and lashing the water wildly with their
tails. Seizing each other with their powerful jaws, the
stronger would dash about in the water, dragging the weaker
one with him, the jaws of the latter snapping impotently at
his foe. The water was splashed high into the air and gradu-
ally became red with the blood from many frightful wounds.
We could do nothing but look on, except, indeed, to fill the
basin with water, so that the weaker animals might find refuge
underneath.

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY 199

The next morning we allowed the water to run off and
were then able to see the extent of the damage. All the
warriors lay prostrate on the battlefield, every one of them
shockingly mutilated and two of them quite dead. These two
had had the whole of their under jaws and a great part of
their upper jaws split in pieces. Of the other four, two had
had their forelegs nearly torn off and hanging only by a shred
of skin. The fifth had had its eye torn out, and the sixth had
had the end of its tail bitten off With the exception of the
last they all died within a week, but he of the shortened tail
slowly recovered and I was able subsequently to sell him.

After this incident I took careful precautions against any
recurrence of these fights. Whenever a new alligator arrived
I muzzled him by tying a cord tightly round his jaws before
letting him out. This was rather a ticklish business, for when
one had inserted one's hand in the box there were consider-
able odds that it might not come out arain. When several
animals which had arrived together were muzzled and turned
out loose into a basin they would fall savagely upon one
another, but could do each other no harm, and in about a
week they would have quieted down sufficiently to make it
safe to remove the muzzles. This I did by means of a knife
fixed at the end of a long stick, which enabled me to cut the
cord while standing at a safe distance. I then with a long-
hook pulled off the cords from the animal's snout. I never
freed them all at the same time, but usually left several days
before allowing all to enjoy their liberty. They had by that
time become accustomed to one another, and no more fights
of the kind above described occurred aoain.

After the alligators have been some little time in the basin
and have become quite quiet, the question of feeding them
arises. There is no hurry about taking any immediate steps,
for these creatures, like snakes, can go without food for
months together. The first food that I gave them consisted
of the lungs of horses and cattle, which I cut into small pieces
and threw into the water. I fed them only on the hottest

200 BEASTS AND MEN

days and usually in the evening. After they had learnt to
know this method of feeding I was able to carry them on a
step further. A large piece of meat was fixed to the end of
a wooden pole and the water stirred about with it until the
alligators seized it. I approached ever nearer the basin, and
after from four to six weeks some of the animals had become
so far tamed that they would take food from my hand. But
I always felt that they would gladly have taken the hand as
well if they had been given the chance. No real friendship
can be established between these savage reptiles and human
beinors.

The smaller alligators, of three or four feet in length,
which used to be kept in cages with glass fronts, can be tamed
somewhat more quickly. It took me only about a week to
teach these animals to come forward whenever I tapped on
their glass windows, and take food out of my hand. The
larger alliofators are verv voracious, and I have seen one nine
feet long eat forty-eight pounds of meat at one meal.

Young alligators grow well in captivity if they are pro-
perly looked after. I should say that they reached their full
development at the age of eighteen or twenty years. They
are then about twelve feet long. I have never at any time
seen one longer than this, though fourteen-feet specimens
have been reported to have been shot. In the London
Zoological Gardens a few years ago there was an animal
eleven feet in length which had been bought eighteen years
previously when only three feet long.

The animals referred to above belong to the species of
alligator known as Alligatoj' mississippiensis, coming from
the Southern States of America. I well remember the first
consiornment of these which we ever received. This was in
1856. On hearing that the boat containing the animals had
arrived, my father and I went on board to inspect them, and
found there a miscellaneous collection of cages containing
animals of all kinds. The owner demanded ^120 for the
whole collection, but we finally beat him down to ^90 and

REPTILES IN CAPTIVITY 201

carried away the lot. The dealer was so much pleased with
this transaction that he made me a present of a young alligator
three and a half feet loner. It is true that it turned out to be
blind in one eye, but it does not do to look a gift horse in the
mouth, nor a gift alligator in the eye !

At this time alligators were very rare in Europe, and we
made a very good business out of them. Even I, who was
then only twelve years old, succeeded in selling my one-eyed
alligator for eighteen shillings, which was to me a large for-
tune.

As compared with the great Indian crocodiles (or gavials)
of the Ganges and the Brahmapootra, the American alligators
are mere dwarfs. About fifteen years ago two skins of these
crocodiles came into my possession, one fourteen and the other
sixteen feet long. These I exhibited at Vienna, and they
may still be seen in the Imperial Museum at that city. That
they are not unusually large specimens, I have the evidence
of my traveller Johansen, who states that three years ago,
when navigating the Brahmapootra, he shot two gavials
measuring fully twenty-five feet. He was, however, unable
to secure their carcases, for the stream ran so strongly that it
was impossible to stop the vessel. He says, moreover, that
he has seen specimens of these animals quite thirty feet long ;
and now that he is again making a journey to India I have
given him orders to bring home, if not the animal itself, at
least some skins of it. I have several times tried to import
the young of this species, but without success ; they all died
on the journey. I believe that these Ganges gavials are the
largest crocodiles in existence, though my travellers have told
me that those inhabiting the White Nile and the crreat African
lakes reach enormous dimensions. Will it ever be possible
to exhibit one of these gigantic creatures in captivity ?

CHAPTER VIII.

ACCLIMATISATION AND BREEDING.

No fallacy is more widespread than that wild animals have
to be kept throughout the winter carefully guarded from the
effects of the low temperature. In Stellingen we keep lions,
tigers, giraffes, ostriches, and other tropical animals wandering
freely about in the open, though they always have access to
cover if they should wish for it. The first thing that put this
idea into my head was seeing a chimpanzee in England in a
cold winter in the sixties disporting himself in the snow on
the roof of a lar^e tent. When he became cold he went in
and took up a position by the stove. Later on I came across
a menagerie in Westphalia where the monkeys were also al-
lowed out of doors in the winter. Here there was an arrange-
ment for connecting the outer enclosure with the inner cages
by flaps, so that the creatures could pass at will from one to
the other. The inner cages were kept at a temperature of 55"
to 65° P., but the monkeys used to come out even when the
thermometer was below zero.

It thus came about that very early in my career I pon-
dered the question as to how far it was advisable to expose
to our winter climate animals which came from tropical
countries. The conclusion at which I arrived was attained
by careful observation of the animals in my possession. My
first experiment on the subject, however, was due to an acci-
dent rather than to any set purpose, and this occurred soon
after I had been established at Neuer Pferdemarkt. I re-
ceived one day in September a very beautiful Indian Cyrus

crane. This we placed in an open enclosure where it re-

202

ACCLIMATISATION AND BREEDING 203

mained until nearly the beginning of winter. About that
time I was, as so often happens to me, called away un-
expectedly and did not get back till about a week later.
During this week cold weather suddenly set in. I arrived
back very late at night, but was awakened early next morn-
ing by the characteristic cry of my crane, which I had for-
gotten all about, and which I had intended to transfer to a
warm building. I hastened out to find the hoar frost lying
on the ground, and expecting to see the crane frozen through
with the cold. But to my astonishment I found him in the
most boisterous health ; and when I came up, expecting to
see him on the point of death, he came dancing and flutter-
ing round to greet me, filling the air with his loud cries.
Seeing that he did not appear to have suffered in any way
from the cold, I arranged in one corner of the enclosure a
sort of recess with plenty of straw where he could obtain
shelter from the cold. But never once during the snow-
storms, wind, and rain of that long winter did he make any
use of this recess. He maintained his health in as perfect
condition as though he were in his own tropical climate. I
date from this occurrence the inauguration of my settled cus-
tom of giving wild animals access to the open air to the
greatest possible extent. From this time commenced those
experiments on acclimatisation which, since the founding of
my animal park at Stellingen, have occupied a very large
share of my attention.

The art of acclimatisation is as old as the animal trade it-
self, for it has always been necessary, in order to keep in
captivity animals from foreign countries, to acclimatise them
to some extent to their new country, as well as to changed
habits of life and artificially prepared food. Captivity, indeed,
involves an enormous change in all the animal's ordinary
modes of life. From being free to roam on the deserts or the
steppes, and compelled to exercise cunning or swiftness to
secure its food, it is now confined in a comparatively cramped
space and not called upon to exercise any of its normal

204 BEASTS AND MEN

activities whatever. The giraffes, elephants, and gazelles,
which are accustomed to wander in large herds through the
plains or forests, find themselves suddenly isolated and con-
demned to drag out their existence in solitary confinement.
It is not to be wondered at that weakness and enervation
should ensue as a result. Among all animals a sort of mental
depression seems to take place when they have been only re-
cently captured ; and in the case of the more highly evolved
and nervous animals, such as the anthropoids and especially
the gorillas, this mental depression often terminates in death.

The power of adaptation to new climates varies greatly with
different animals. It is most developed in the case of those
animals which are accustomed to wander about on large con-
tinental plains, for there is there a considerable difference in
the temperatures of day and night, and they are accustomed,
in consequence, to suffer extremes. As long ago as the
seventies I began acclimatisation experiments at Neuer
Pferdemarkt with giraffes and elephants. One winter about
that time was so severe that I was unable to raise the tem-
perature of the stables in which the giraffes were kept to
more than a few degrees above freezing-point, but I found
that the cold did the creatures no harm. They grew a thick
crop of winter hair, thus reacting to their new environment,
and by the end of the winter their hair was about two and
a half times as long as giraffe hair usually is.

In founding my animal park at Stellingen the chief
principle which I kept in view was that each animal should be
kept in an environment which differed as little as possible from
its own natural environment. For this purpose one of the
first requisites was to give them plenty of space to wander
about in, so that their diminished freedom should be felt as
little as possible. The next thing was to endeavour to har-
den them against the influence of the cold and wet, for which

o

European climates are so remarkable. The case of African
ostriches may be cited as a model of what can be done in
this respect.

o

c

0)

1)
O

ACCLIMATISATION AND BREEDING 207

Three years ago at the beginning of October there arrived
at my animal park a number of young ostriches from Africa.
Instead of being placed as usual in closed and heated build-
ings they were left out in a large yard in which a wooden hut
had been set up as a shelter. During the whole winter the
birds were kept in this yard and did very well, although the
temperature several times reached 20° of frost. On the ist
January, 1906, when they were out at about 30° of frost, I
noticed that some of them actually took the opportunity to
give themselves baths in the snow. A cassowary, which was
kept close by, likewise passed through the winter without harm.
In 1907, six young ostriches about three and a half feet high
arrived, and they also stood the winter very well. In the autumn
we happened to receive half a dozen adult ostriches which had
become so weak on the journey that they had to be carried
out of their cages by their keepers. Nevertheless they were
placed in the yard with the rest, and after a few hours in the
open they had recovered sufficiently to be driven into the
shelter hut with their comrades.

The hut is, of course, so arranged that the birds can go into
it at any moment, should they be so inclined. For purposes
of ventilation the windows of the hut are kept open day and
niofht, so that there is little relief from the outer cold. The
only furniture provided is a layer of turf and a plentiful supply
of straw. Only for one week during the winter were the birds
kept shut up in this hut, and that was simply on account of the
ice on which they are so liable to slip that it brings them into
great danger. During this period it is true that several acci-
dents occurred. One ostrich had its leg broken while running
about in the hut. Another died from the effects of a kick by
one of its comrades. A third belied the common proverb
about the digestion of ostriches. It swallowed eleven copper
nails about one and a half inches long and also one of about
four inches long, but instead of surviving and flourishing, as it
ought to have done, it died through the nails piercing the wall
of the stomach. But at no time did any accident occur on

208

BEASTS AND MEN

account of the severe weather. None of the creatures ever
caught cold, and the six young ones, which in June weighed
from 60 to 70 lbs. apiece, had by the following February
reached an average weight of 340 lbs.

Successful acclimatisation experiments have been carried
out with a variety of other animals besides ostriches. Re-
markable results have been obtained with nearly all the dif-
ferent kinds of antelopes, with elands, gnus, beisas, etc.
Last winter we had, among other kinds, six specimens of

the Dorcas gazelle which gam-
bolled about at a temperature
several decrees below freezingf-
point just as cheerfully as if it had
been summer. There is no doubt
that all the species of antelope can
be left out of doors throughout
the winter so long as they have
access to a covered shed where
they can obtain shelter if necessary.
When they are confined in close
quarters they are much more liable
to contract disease. The great
antelope houses which most Zoo-
•Dorcas gazelles in the snow. logical Gardens possess are al-
together a mistake, as also is the system of keeping the
animals apart in separate stalls. They thrive much better
when they are allowed to herd together, and any additional
cost of tending or feeding the animals can be covered by
breeding, for which the closer companionship naturally gives
greater opportunities. In my garden, which has been specially
laid out for the purpose of facilitating my acclimatisation experi-
ments, I have hit upon several minor devices for giving shelter
from rain and wind. The gables of the roofs project far out
so as to afford shelter and a dry resting-place beneath, free
from rain and snow. Some of the houses are so constructed
that the outer door, instead of leading directly into the main

ACCLIMATISATION AND BREEDING

209

building, opens into a passage which turns abruptly and so ex-
cludes the possibility of draughts. The doors can then be
left wide open day and night, summer and winter, nor is any
artificial heating arrangement required. The animals obtain
the benefit, however, of what I may call a natural

heating

Lions in the snow,

arrangement. This is effected by allowing their dung to

accumulate on the floor to the depth of about a foot. It is
covered daily with fresh straw ; but the warmth given out by
the process of decomposition keeps the building at a tempera-
ture considerably higher than that which prevails outside.

With the carnivores also, similar experiments have
been undertaken ; and they have been attended with similar

14

210 BEASTS AND MEN

results. Both lions and tigers, even Indian tigers, withstood
the cold admirably so long as they were free to wander in
the open. It is true that I have at the back of my carnivore
glen a shelter into which the animals can retreat at pleasure,
and it is also true that this shelter was heated during some
of the coldest days in the year. But the heating was merely
intended to keep it free from ice, and the animals were at all
times at liberty to wander, and in fact did wander, outside,
every day, even in the rain and snow. One Indian panther
which I had, became so much accustomed to the cold that it
would not take advantage of the shelter, but lay out in the
open all day on the branch of a tree.

The most remarkable case that I have observed of the
beneficial effects of fresh air was in the case of two young lions
which on their first arrival I kept confined within doors ; but
here they fell into a pitiable condition and I thought they
were going to die. I then placed them out in the open, the
only shelter provided being an ordinary box. Forthwith
they began to improve, and they are now perfectly recovered
and have developed into fine animals.

Little has yet been done towards attempting the acclima-
tisation of monkeys, but I have now under construction
several large monkey houses designed specially for this pur-
pose. In the case of the anthropoids, I have a couple
of orangs already to a great extent acclimatised. They had
been kept in captivity in Borneo for six years before they
reached me, and on their arrival I placed them in a large
waggon cage, whence they have been in the habit of coming
out daily and walking round the gardens with their keepers.
Their health has remained uniformly good — a clear proof
that creatures even from the tropical climate of Borneo can
be acclimatised in this country.

There are, of course, many other animals that have been
acclimatised besides those that I have mentioned. In the
winter my animal park shows scarcely less life and activity
than in the summer. Cyrus and crowned cranes, many exotic

ACCLIMATISATION AND BREEDING 211

pheasants, and Australian black swans are all left out of doors
throughout the entire winter. The marabou and the ibis
can stand 10° of frost, and Australian cockatoos, aras,
etc., do not have to take shelter even when the temper-
ature sinks to 15° F. It is obvious, however, that there are
many small tropical birds and mammals which it will never
be possible to acclimatise. Reptiles and amphibians also
are difficult subjects, though one never knows what may
not be done until one has tried.

As I have already observed, the fundamental law of ac-
climatisation is to provide as large spaces as possible for the
animals to roam about in. In Stellingen, moreover, I always
try to supply an environment which resembles as far as
possible the natural environment of the animals. I endeavour
to consider the psychic as well as the physical condition of the
animal, so that they should forget, if it be possible, that they
are prisoners at all. The gregarious animals I always keep
together in large enclosures. This goes a long way towards
combating the tediousness which is one of the greatest
difficulties to be overcome in keeping wild animals in captivity.
Constant association enables them to play about together,
keeps up the appetite, and maintains the body in a healthy
condition. There are, therefore, in Stellingen wide tracts of
meadow-land in which wander animals of many different
species, though all are provided with shelters in case of un-
favourable weather. Rocky ranges rise high into the air
dotted with mountain animals from various parts of the world,
and on a high plateau a herd of reindeer may be seen. A rock is
provided, in as exact an imitation as possible of an iceberg, so
that the polar bears may think that they are still in the Arctic
regions ; and there are great ponds with numerous shelter
corners in which seals, penguins, and water birds may feel that
they are in their own home.

Certain other Zoological Gardens have been carrying out

experiments of the same kind. In the acclimatisation of

various exotic mammals and birds, Dr. Brandis in Halle has

14 *

212 : BEASTS AND MEN

achieved the best results, while Professor Heck of the Berlin
Zoological Gardens has been very successful in imitating the
natural surroundings of the animals. At the Zoological Gar-
dens at Copenhagen I was glad to find that many recom-
mendations which I had made five years previously had been
put into practice by Director Schiott with excellent results. In
particular, the monkeys had been provided with an outer en-
closure, to which they had access at all times. Under this
treatment they had flourished so well that I endeavoured to
purchase some, but the director was not to be persuaded to
part with any.

One result of the acclimatisation of animals is that the erec-
tion of Zoological Gardens is no longer the expensive matter
that it used to be. The massive houses with costly heating
arrangements can all be dispensed with, and there is no reason
at all why every town of icx),ooo inhabitants should not have
its Zoological Gardens. The planning required is both simple
and economical, and there would be little risk of loss.

Besides myself, various private persons in different parts of
the world have achieved considerable success in acclimatisa-
tion. The famous Falz-Fein keeps all the animals on his
estate in the Crimea out in the open. The Duke of Bedford
similarly keeps his fine collection roaming at large about the
great park at Woburn. Mr. Walter Rothschild also has in
his parks very fine collections. What greater pleasure can
there be to a private gentleman than that of maintaining and
establishing personal friendships with a large collection of
foreion animals !

I now have to touch upon one of the most serious prob-
lems with which the animal lover is confronted — I mean the
approaching extermination of many of the finest kinds of wild
beasts. Antelopes, giraffes, and many other species become
scarcer year by year, and the difficulties of procuring
them are constantly increasing. In order that they
may be saved, large reserves should without delay be estab-
lished. If it is not done soon, it will be too late. The finest

ACCLIMATISATION AND BREEDING 215

country in the world for the establishment of such reserves
would be Florida ; and, if any wealthy American could be
persuaded to set aside even so small an area as 1,000 acres in
that wonderful country, he would be performinc^ a service, the
importance of which can scarcely be exaggerated. Giraffes,
zebras, all the large species of antelopes, as well as the most
beautiful cranes, ostriches, emus, etc., would live peaceably to-
gether in such a park. Indeed it would almost be possible to
transfer a complete portion of the African fauna to 1* lorida if
this were done. The site selected for such a park would
have to include woods and thickets, large meadows as well as
hilly ground, and should be traversed by a riv(T wh(Te the
animals could go to drink. If they were; properly protected
they would undoubtedly breed well and remain healthy.

There would be very little difficulty in carrying out this
project. If such a reserve on a small scale can be maintained
in Southern Russia, where the temperature often falls many
degrees below freezing-point, how much more easily could it
be accomplished in the magnificent climate of the Southern
States of America ! Nor would the expense be so very great ;
$200,000 to $250,000 would be amply sufficic-nt to cover
the cost of all the animals that would be recjuired. Among
the other animals that I have mentioned kangaroos could be
easily included, for experience in my animal park has shown that
they thrive admirably in such large spaces.

Closely connected with the subject of acclimatisation is
the art of breeding, including the crossing of animals of
different races. This has always been one of the special
points of interest in my g^arden at Stellingen. It is very
important from the commercial point of view on account of
the prospect which it affords of improving some of our
domestic races of animals. From this standpoint careful
attention ought to be paid to the indigenous cattle of uncivil
ised lands. The acclimatisation of these is usually attended
with but little difficulty, and a careful selection of them
for breeding purposes might be attended with results very

2l6

BEASTS AND MEN

valuable to the farmer. We have at Stellingen done much
business in importing Indian zebus for crossing purposes;
and we export many of the animals to Argentina and Brazil.
The draught capacity of cattle is very often immensely improved
by the infusion of the zebu blood. The possibility of making
such crosses is of the first importance in all the colonies,

where a correct selection of
suitable races of domestic
animals is one of the most
urgent problems that the
people are called upon to
solve.

I have already related the
failure of my attempts at
brinofino- home some of the
giant wild sheep of Central
Asia. It was suggested to
me by Professor Kiihn of
Halle that I should endeavour
to cross these with domestic
sheep ; but unfortunately the
experiment has not yet proved
practicable. I succeeded in
bringfingr home some of the
animals and also representa-
tives of smaller races for the
Royal Agricultural Institute, but it was only in the case of
the smaller varieties that the crossing experiments were suc-
cessful, for the giant sheep died very soon.

I do not despair, however, of succeeding ultimately in
bringing home some of these giant wild sheep. I had the
same difficulty at first with wild horses, stags, roes, ibexes,
etc., but in all these cases experience showed me how I could
overcome the obstacles and carry out the importation success-
fully. The Siberian stag crossed with the ordinary red deer
gives very good results, and before long deer-stalkers may ex-

FiG. 70. — Young argali.

N

\4 . J

ACCLIMATISATION AND BREEDING 219

pect a great improvement in their stock from the result of
such breeding. Falz-Fein was the first to produce this cross.
Siberian roe-deer have also been crossed satisfactorily with
our native roes.

The importation of Mongolian pheasants is also very profit-
able for breeding purposes. My first orders for this bird were
from the Duke of Bedford and from Mr. Walter Rothschild.
The hybrids produced by crossing these pheasants with the
ordinary English species are 30 per cent, heavier in weight
than any which have hitherto been bred. The example of these
two gentlemen has been followed by many others, especially in
England, where pheasant shooting is a very popular pastime.
I myself have gained little advantage from the importation of
these birds, for they have to be brought from very distant and
inaccessable countries at great expense and with many risks to
be run by the way. If only 30 or 40 per cent, of the birds that
are caught ultimately arrive at Hamburg I am fully satis-
fied.

An interesting cross which has hitherto attracted little at-
tention is that between the horse and the zebra. Professor
Ewart of Edinburgh made some very successful experiments
in this direction, and I bought from him all the hybrids which
he obtained. Two of these "zebroids" were acquired by the
British Government for use in the Mountain Artillery in
India, and are said to have proved very satisfactory for this
purpose. Two others, a stallion and a gelding, I have
myself used for several years. They are excellent draught
animals and as steadfast as ordinary mules. The latter, I may
observe, deserve more attention than they receive in Germany,
The Americans seem to understand the value of these hybrids
better than we do, for according to some statistics which I
saw some time ago, over a quarter of a million mules are
bred in the United States every year.

CHAPTER IX.

ANIMALS IN SICKNESS.

In a collection consisting of thousands of animals, it is, of
course, impossible to prevent the occurrence of various kinds
of diseases. Sometimes these are very serious : as, for in-
stance, when, just before the exhibition at Chicago, the
epidemic of cholera invaded my menagerie and almost
annihilated the inmates, while I and my skilled veterinary
surgeons could do nothing but stand idly by and look on.
But it is not often that we have to deal with scourofes so
terrible as this. Of the minor indispositions, those which
affect animals on their first arrival, as a result of the long- and
trying journeys from the interior of distant continents and
across the seas, are the most frequent. As I pointed out in
the case of the elands and young baboons, their first ac-
quaintance with captivity brings a heavy strain upon their
constitutions, and the effects are very apt to appear later on
in a disturbed state of health. Great care, therefore, has to be
taken when one of these creatures arrives at its destination.
It is fed on concentrated food in carefully regulated quantities.
Every effort is made to soothe its disordered nerves, and to
restore the creature to a normal condition before the process
of acclimatisation is commenced. I lay great stress upon
the rule that animals which have newly arrived should be
treated very differently from those that have already been
acclimatised and grown accustomed to their food. I feed
new arrivals at frequent intervals during the day, giving

them each time only small portions. Among the carnivores

220

ANIMALS IN SICKNESS 221

my rule is to feed them twice a day ; and not until they are
thoroughly acclimatised can this rule be safely relaxed.

An adult lion when he has been acclimatised ought to
receive from 13 to 17 lbs. of meat per day, with one fast
day in the week. I usually give them alternately horse-
flesh and beef ; and in the latter case I include both the head
and the heart of the prey. This I do, not only from con-
siderations of economy, but because I think it agrees well
with the animals. Food which contains plenty of bone
strengthens them and should always be given ; for there is no
doubt of the truth of the proverb " bone makes bone". It is
also very good for them to have to use their teeth. It pre-
serves the teeth in a proper condition, and, by aiding the
processes of mastication and digestion, gives the animals a
cheerful temperament and keeps them in good health. It is
quite astonishing what a large amount of bone a carnivore
will succeed in devourinof. Of the head of an ox or horse
weighing 30 lbs. it will eat quite two-thirds. The strong
bony feeding is also found to be beneficial in many illnesses,
and when young animals are teething trainers like to feed
them upon bony food in order to accelerate the development
of the teeth. Even in adult animals I have found that a
bone diet acts as a cure in cases of trouble with the teeth.
I once had a fine specimen of a North African lion which
suffered from severe fistula of the gums both around the
canines and all along the upper jaw. In all such cases, where
the disease can be diagnosed with comparative ease, I usually
dispense with the services of a veterinary surgeon and attend
to the matter myself. The first thing I did was to place the
animal on a diet which would lead to no further inflammation
of the sore parts. I gave him milk, eggs, and minced-up
meat ; and the freedom from further irritation soon reduced
the swelling of the gums and brought the animal into a more
healthy condition. As soon as the inflammation had sub-
sided I commenced to put him gradually on to a strong diet
with a special liberality of bone. By thus compelling him to

222

BEASTS AND MEN

use his teeth, the injured ones soon broke out of their own
accord, and it was unnecessary to resort to the operation of
removing- them artificially — an operation always attended with
considerable danger on account of the use of anaesthetics which
it involves.

One of the most interesting cures which I have succeeded
in effecting was in the case of a small elephant which I
received on 9th March, 1904. He was at that time in a
very badly nourished condition, little more than skin and
bone, and on the point of collapsing. His height was only
four feet six inches at the shoulder. The care which I ex-

Strangling a sick elephant.

pended upon him was so well requited that in the course of
five weeks during July and August his weight increased from
nearly 7 cwt. to about g^ cwt. Unfortunately he afterwards
contracted colic, which brought down his weight by about i^
cwt. within two days. He soon got over it, however, and
from the middle of September to the end of December put
on very nearly another 7 cwt. This remarkable cure was
effected without any resort to medicine. I may here take
the opportunity of observing that in dealing with wild animals
medicine should be avoided to the greatest possible extent.
I am wholly convinced that medicines often do more harm
than good ; and that the proper way of doctoring an animal

ANIMALS IN SICKNESS 223

is to place it in such wholesome conditions that nature brings
her own remedy without artificial assistance.

I had occasion not long ago to apply this doctrine in the
case of a rhinoceros which had been wounded when it was
being captured, and had been improperly treated while in
transport. When it arrived it had in its back holes of the
size of a man's hand, and a tendon of the hindleg was half
cut through. The only medicinal treatment that I ad-
ministered was to supply it with a hygienic bed — if that
can be called medicinal. The bed in question is nothing
more than dry earth covered over with hay or straw. I fed
it on concentrated food such as eggs, milk, and water-gruel ;
and by the end of five weeks the rhinoceros had completely re-
covered its normal condition and looked strong and healthy.

One of the most remarkable cures that have been efi^cted
among the animals in my possession was in the case of an
Indian buffalo-cow which had fallen ill before being shipped
from India. The disease took the form of an inflammation
on the snout and was accompanied by a heightened tempera-
ture and considerable pain, especially when the creature was
feedino-. An examination disclosed the fact that the abscess
on the snout was crammed with parasitic worms. An at-
tempt at a scientific cure, although it caused much suffer-
ing to the animal, was entirely unsuccessful, and after a time
we had practically given up hope of being able to save its
life. At this juncture an old Hindoo came upon the scene,
and when we informed him of the various unsuccessful
attempts to cure the buffalo he smiled knowingly and under-
took to do the job himself in a single day. We attached
little credence to the Hindoo's professions, but, since every-
thing had failed and all hope been abandoned, there seemed
no objection to letting him try what he could do. On re-
ceiving our permission, he went away and returned a few
hours later with a bundle of blossoming branches of some
shrub with which I was then, and am still, quite unacquainted.
All I can say is that the blossom gave forth a somewhat

224 BEASTS AND MEN

penetrating odour. We imagined that the Hindoo was about
to make a decoction from these plants to wash out the sores
— but no such thing. He merely tied the branches securely to
the buffalo's tail. This so irritated the animal that it lashed
its tail about, hitting Itself over the snout In its endeavours
to tear off the branches. The constant contact of the snout
with the shrub very quickly produced a remarkable effect. I
cannot say whether the worms In the abscess were stupefied by
the odour, or whether they merely disliked It and endeavoured
to escape from It. But certain it is, that without further
trouble they all fell out of their own accord, so that we were
Immediately able to wash out the abscess, and the creature
was soon completely healed. This affords an interesting
illustration of the variety of experience which I have collected
in the course of my business.

Although this method of healing seems pretty simple, it is
not more simple than many of the methods which I regularly
adopt. Except in cases of infectious diseases, I have all my
life confined myself to old-established and well-known
remedies. I rarely call in a veterinary surgeon, and, indeed,
it would be impracticable for me to do so whenever any of
my thousands of animals happens to get a cold in the head
or a pain in the toe. Common-sense is the most necessary
qualification for dealing with these minor ailments. A
careful examination has to be made of the sick animal, and
then one has to take the best means available for getting
it rigrht agrain.

As an instance of my method of procedure in such matters,
I may recount the story of a polar bear which I purchased
about forty years ago from the Zoological Garden at Copen-
hagen. He was an unusually fine and large specimen and
had been there several years, being probably about twelve
years old. Owing, however, to the inadequate arrangements
of the space allotted to him he was suffering from a complaint
which is very common among polar bears. If any one will
watch these creatures in a Zoological Garden he will observe

ANIMALS IN SICKNESS 225

that, when they turn round, they twist round shortly on their
hind-quarters. In these turns and in all their other move-
ments the hind-paws are scarcely moved at all, so that the
claws growing upon them have nothing to keep them short
and grow to an immoderate length, while those on the fore-
paws are worn out with constant use. The hind-claws thus
grow right into the flesh, and, in the case above alluded to,
they had not only grown into the flesh, but gone right through
it and come out on the other side. When I bought this bear,
the authorities at the Zoological Garden at Copenhagen had
given up hope of being able to cure it ; but after considerable
thought I determined to attempt the following experiment.
I had a large transport cage built about four feet six inches
high and seven feet long and only one foot six inches wide.
The front of the cage consisted simply of a grating made of
parallel bars. Into this cage I drove the bear from out of his
ordinary den. My purpose was to get at his hind-paws with-
out either putting him under anaesthetics or tying him down ;
so, when once he was in the cage, I secured the services of
the two assistants, who were all I then possessed, and tilted
the cage over until the grating was at the bottom with the
bear standing upon it. We next hoisted up the cage, which,
with the bear in it, was not far short of half a ton, and rested
it upon strong blocks, leaving room, however, for me to crawl
underneath it. When I did this I could without difficulty
tie down the bear's paw to the grating, and it was then a very
simple matter to cut the long claws with a pair of strong
clippers. I pulled out the stumps of the claws from the in-
flamed and mortified flesh, and hoped that after this operation
he would soon become healthy again. In this hope I was
completely justified. I transferred him immediately to another
small cage, the lower half of which was lined with zinc, and,
as soon as I had got him into this, I filled the lined portion
of the cage with ice-cold water. The creature was thus
kept continuously with his hind-paws immersed in the cold
water. I kept a constant stream running, so that it was

15

226 BEASTS AND MEN

always clear and fresh, and I devised means for keeping it
thoroughly cool at the same time. In a fortnight the cure
had entirely succeeded, and the bear once more became an
almost perfect specimen of his kind. Some time after, I
sold him to a menagerie for a very good price.

Every one who has had anything to do with animals is
well acquainted with the fact that they often have a strong
predilection for alcohol and sugar. Thus it is well known
that race-horses are given sack to drink, or have their
nostrils washed out with it, before they start in a race.
Monkeys, too, are fond of wine, or of alcohol in any other
form. Once when I was transporting seven elephants and
a number of other animals through Germany the elephants
were seized with colic. In order to cure them of this I gave
them doses of rum. One of them, however, appeared to
have had rather too much, for he became exceedingly
hilarious and challenged his more sober neighbour to a duel.
The jovial monster was disturbing the entire menagerie, so
I saw that there was nothing for it but to repeat the dose,
for the purpose of reversing the effect. I therefore supplied
him with a large extra quantity of grog. He then became
completely drunk, and soon fell into a quiet sleep.

I have heard of a case of alcohol being administered also
to bears in a very cruel, indeed a revolting, manner. This
occurred some time ago when I had sold several large Euro-
pean bears to a menagerie owner of the name of Malferteiner.
This man used to wander about the country with an itinerant
exhibition, and his cages were of a somiewhat light make,
scarcely strong enough to keep securely the exceptionally
fine animals which I had sold him. There seemed consider-
able danger that, by gnawing, scratching, or breaking, they
would soon succeed in gaining their liberty. He was there-
fore rather pleased when, soon afterwards, he fell in with a
tribe of gypsies, who were much interested in the bears and
offered to purchase them. As they had some ready money
he completed the transaction ; and waited with curiosity to

ANIMALS IN SICKNESS 227

see how the gypsies were going to take over the captives, for
they had no luggage and no cages in which they could keep
the bears. When Malferteiner asked them how they were
going to manage it, they replied that he need not worry
about that, they would look after it. He could not see, how-
ever, how they were going to avoid running into considerable
danger ; for no attempt had ever been made to tame the
bears or break them in in any way. The first thing that
the gypsies did was to leave the creatures for a couple of days
without food. They then brought a cask of salted herrings,
which they put in the cages. The bears did not like this
food at all, but their dislike availed them nothing, for no
other was offered them ; and on the third day their hunger
became so acute that they devoured the herrings. Forthwith
they became, of course, exceedingly thirsty, but no water was
given them. Instead of water, bowls of sweetened spirit
were placed before them, and this they greedily lapped up.
They were then thoroughly intoxicated and sank into a very
deep sleep. The gypsies were now in a position to carry
out their evil purpose without fear. They walked into the
cages where the formidable animals lay as harmless and
motionless as sacks of flour ; they extracted their large canine
teeth with pliers, and cut away the claws from their paws.
Even the deep wounds in the flesh which they made in this
operation did not arouse the bears, and the gypsies knew no
pity. Rings were drawn through their noses, and to each
animal two chains were attached, one round the neck and
another to the ring in the nose. The creatures had now
been altogether deprived of their weapons of offence and
defence. They were placed upon a cart, and the gypsies
drove off with them. After many hours the unfortunate
animals awoke and fell out of the cart ; but, held as they
were by the chains, they were compelled to run behind.
The gypsies had taken the additional precaution of muzzling
them, but this was entirely unnecessary, for the poor brutes,
stupefied and weakened by pain, had no spirit left for attacking

15*

228 BEASTS AND MEN

their persecutors. Let us hope that in these civilised days
such barbarous and cruel treatment would be impossible.
Under enlightened laws the punishment would indeed be
swift and severe for offenders of this detestable description.
One of the most remarkable diseases which afflict animals
in captivity takes the form of the infliction by the creatures
themselves of dangerous wounds upon their own bodies.
This peculiar complaint only occurs among the carnivores,
but it is liable to break out in any species belonging to that
order. I have had two cases of this self-mutilation in the
case of spotted hyaenas, which up to that moment had ap-
peared to be in thoroughly good health and very well
behaved. In both cases these creatures all of a sudden broke
forth into loud yells and literally fell upon themselves, tearing
great pieces out of their own bodies. So quickly and so
unexpectedly did this happen that there was no time to do
anything to save them, and in each case the wounds inflicted
were so shocking that the animals soon expired. Some
years ago also a large jaguar became afflicted in the same
way. He attacked one of his own paws, and so severely
did he injure it that he had to be kept on a sick bed for four
months and was not completely recovered for six months.
Although I have never known male lions to be taken in this
way, I have on two separate occasions observed it in lion-
esses. These two animals both ate their own tails as far as
they could reach, and as a result so much blood was lost that
they both had to be killed. A tiger in my possession once
did the same thing. He ate away half his tail, and it was
only with great care and difficulty that we succeeded in heal-
ing him. Although I have watched with great care, I have
not succeeded in finding any cause for these horrible habits.
All the animals which I have here mentioned had been up
to the moment of their seizure in thoroughly good health.
They had not refused to take their food, nor betrayed any
other symptom of approaching illness. The common reason
given for these attacks is that the animal is suddenly pos-

ANIMALS IN SICKNESS 229

sessed with an inordinate desire for blood, but it seems to me
much more probable that it is due to some disease of the
brain. Whatever may be its cause, it is certainly of the
greatest interest ; and it is much to be wished that some
authoritative man of science would undertake a research into
its origin.

CHAPTER X.

LIFE AT STELLINGEN.

I HAVE already described the process whereby, in the course
of a few years, wide flat plains, fit for nothing but potato
fields, and uncultivated land, interspersed by a few bushes,
have been converted into a magnificent park. It is true that
the hills and dales of this area do not accord well with the
tiat expanse of Northern Germany, but they are admirably
suited to the purpose for which they were created. Under
the precipitous cliffs and through the green meadows run
small rivulets, spanned here and there by bridges so as to
give a very picturesque effect.

In each portion of this animal park there are kept the
kinds of animals most suited to that special part ; so that,
within the limits of the park itself, there are contained speci-
mens representing the fauna of every part of the globe. The
stranger should direct his steps towards the group of build-
ings in the centre of the park ; for when he stands there and
looks outwards, he can obtain a fine view over every part of
this veritable animal paradise.

In the foreground is a large lake for the water birds, on
which may be seen many varieties of swans, geese, and ducks.
Beyond this there rises a rocky cliff, and on either side of it
there stretch wide meadows, in which may be seen flamin-
goes, cranes, pelicans, and ibises disporting themselves in the
sun. This great expanse of lowland stretches far away to
the foot of those rocky hills seen in the distance, and across
the plain there roam so many different kinds of herbivores

that one might fancy oneself in the Garden of Eden. Sheep,

230

c

1)

-4-1

13
IS

LIFE AT STELLINGEN

233

o-oats, and antelopes stand out prominently on the hillsides ;
whilst below in the green valley may be seen brahma-zebus
from India, grazing side by side with shaggy yaks from
Mongolia, guanacoes from South America, and woolly lamas
from Peru. Here also is to be found the great dromedary
and the conspicuously marked zebra. Various kinds of deer
which have come from distant lands mingle with their Ger-
man congeners. Mighty buffaloes and tiny dwarf goats
graze peaceably together ; and although all is peace and har-
mony, the scene presented is one of incessant movement,
the animals appearing to enjoy complete liberty.

As one looks beyond this large prairie the spectacle pre-
sented becomes still more remarkable ; for, only a few steps
from where the herbivores are enclosed, a number of lions
may be observed wandering about in a rocky gorge, not shut
in by any fence ; while beyond these again a high mountain
fills the horizon, on which may be seen all manner of Alpine
creatures. Outlined against the sky beyond a markhor-buck
stands on a lofty ridge ; and, even as we watch, it gallops
off and takes a
flying leap over a
deep chasm lying
in its path. Just
as on the plain
below many dif-
ferent animals
are collected to-
gether, so also
on this rocky mountain. Maned sheep from North Africa,
the famous wild sheep of Siberia, large families of Hima-
layan wild goats and many other species find here plenty
of scope for the exercise of their rock-climbing proclivities.

The liberty which is accorded to the animals, and which
goes so far to relieve the distress that a life in captivity must
mean, is not only apparent but real. In the case of the lions
in particular there is amply sufficient space for them to exercise

Flamingoes.

234

BEASTS AND MEN

their powerful muscles; and visitors as a rule cannot con-
ceive at first what barrier there is to keep them in. The
broad trench which serves this purpose is so carefully con-
cealed with thick brushwood and plants that the illusion is
almost complete.

It is only in comparatively recent years that I have
ventured to exhibit animals in this fashion. The first occa-
sion was at the Berlin Exhibition in 1896, and later on I
tried it at Leipsic and several other places, but my greatest

The "Japanese" island.

success was at the St. Louis Exhibition in 1904. Before
substituting a trench for railings, I had, of course, to carry
out a series of experiments to discover how far the animals
could jump. Any underestimate of their saltatory powers
might, indeed, be attended with terrible consequences. I
therefore investigated carefully their capacity both at the high
jump and the long jump. In the case of the feline carnivores
my experiments were made some time ago when I was still
at Neuer Pferdemarkt. For the high jump my method was
to take a stuffed pigeon and fix it to a projecting branch of a

LIFE AT STELLINGEN 235

tree about ten feet above the orround. I then let loose in turn
lions, tigers, and panthers into the enclosure where the tree was
growing, and, as soon as they spied the pigeon, they exerted
themselves to the utmost to bring it to the ground. They
were, however, unable to do so. The lions and tigers could
only jump about six feet six inches. The panthers were more
athletic and could just reach the branch, but even they were
unable to bring down the pigeon, for the latter was fixed to
the highest point.

The long jump I used to test in a similar manner, using
for the most part animals which had already received some
training and were therefore more adept than ordinary un-
practised carnivores. The panthers could just cover ten feet
without a run ; but, if they had been able to take a run, I
feel sure that they could have increased it to thirteen or
fourteen feet. Tigers I found could also just cover ten feet
from a standstill, but I doubt not that they also could have
put on several feet if they had been allowed a run.

On the strength of these experiments I considered it safe
to surround the carnivore gorge at Stellingen with a trench
twenty-eight feet wide. Although they could easily take a
ten-yard run at it, it is certain that, if they endeavoured to
leap so wide a chasm, they would inevitably fall into the
depths of the abyss, I had, however, to devise an arrange-
ment to safetruard the animals from falling into the trench
inadvertently while playing about. For this purpose I caused
to be constructed a ledge some five feet wide, running round
the trench on the inner side a little distance below the top.
It is true that this somewhat diminished the distance from the
outer side of the trench ; but it has to be remembered that an
animal taking off from this ledge would not have the advan-
tage of a run, and would therefore find in it no facility for
getting out. When thus confined by a trench, the animals
are indeed much more securely locked up than if they were
kept behind bars. For bars may be, and often have been,
broken through, but it is a physical impossibility that the

236 BEASTS AND MEN

animals should take so wide a leap as that which would be
necessary to escape.

The large park constitutes a community resembling in
many ways a community of human beings. The passing
visitor has but little idea of the varying incidents and occu-
pations which fill the lives of the captive animals. As in a
community of human beings, they make friends and enemies
among one another ; they fall in love, and fall out of it again.
There are births, deaths, and marriages, and a constant
supply of news for the men whose duty it is to look after the
creatures. Indeed there would be sufficient material to fill
the columns of a small daily newspaper. Careful observa-
tion is constantly kept on all the animals, and treatment is
meted out to each according to its individual requirements.

Here, for instance, is a piece of news which comes in one
morning from the Arctic Panorama, the rocks and waters of
which are inhabited by polar bears, by reindeer, by various
aquatic birds, and by walruses and other pinnipeds. The news
is not, perhaps, of fundamental importance ; yet it is interest-
ing in our little township. One of the seals, known as a sea-
bear (a species of pinniped, by the way, which has never before
been seen in Europe), has discovered a new way of amusing
himself. His plan is to conceal himself beneath the surface
of the water, and there narrowly observe the sparrows flutter-
ing about on the brink. Then he would suddenly with
lightning speed flash out of the water and seize a sparrow,
with which he would slide back gently into the pond. There
he would callously drown it, and, when it was no longer able
to fly away, he would play about with it for an hour or more.
This animal was much given to sport of this kind, and a few
days later he succeeded in catching a rat which he maltreated
after the same fashion.

In the case of this sea-bear it was, of course, the love of
play and not mere wanton cruelty which caused it to worry
the sparrow and the rat. Love of play is, indeed, strongly
developed in all animals, and contrivances should be invented

o

c

OS

<

V

'JO

s

C/2

LIFE AT STELLINGEN 241

to give them every opportunity of indulging the faculty. I

have already at Stellingen several contrivances of this kind,

and intend shortly to introduce a great many more. To each

creature should be given whatever seems to suit him best.

Sea-lions, for instance, have a natural talent for balancing ;

and they will derive much amusement from so simple a thing

as a rod thrown into the water. The rhinoceros, on the other

hand, is not qualified for performances in which delicacy and

precision are required. Brute strength is his forte, and some

means must be devised for providing him with an opportunity

to exercise it. In the stable of one of our rhinoceroses, called

Max, we have tried a contrivance which has proved very

successful. A long pole has been inserted horizontally across

the stable at a considerable height from the ground ; and from

it is suspended a heavy sack of hay somewhat resembling on

a large scale those appliances upon which American boxers are

wont to exercise themselves. Max at once took to the idea

of this sport. He commenced boxing furiously with the sack,

and has never since become bored with the pastime. For

wild cattle, too, which are more cut out for feats of streno-th

than for anything requiring subtlety or precision, we provide

a barrel which they can roll to and fro or send hurtling

into the air with their horns. " Panem et Circenses " is the

motto to be observed, if the population is to be kept in a

wholesome frame of mind.

Besides feeding and amusements, there is another factor

of great importance in the lives of the animals, viz., the loves

and friendships which they form among one another. If they

could talk, what endless gossip there would be in our little

community ! It would doubtless turn to a great extent upon

the mesalliances which take place. For among beasts, as

among men, mesalliances frequently occur. What can be

more grotesque, what can form a more appropriate subject

for gossip, than an affection between a great cow-elephant and

a male kangaroo ? Yet this actually did take place. Every

day the two animals would play together, the elephant caress-

16

242

BEASTS AND MEN

ing the marsupial with her trunk ; and they hated to be
separated from one another. Other cases I have already re-
ferred to in preceding chapters : as when a male elephant
made friends with a little pony mare, or when a crowned
crane became intimately associated with an American ostrich.
I also had an instance of friendship between a drake and a
gull. The life has its shady side too, for there is no end of
jealousy accompanying the various demonstrations of affection.
Among the most interesting inhabitants of the park are
the walruses, who live in the Arctic Panorama. Arctic

travellers are un-
animous in recor-
ding that these
animals in a wild
state are very un-
pleasant to meet,
and occasionally
extremely pugna-
cious. If they
are irritated, they
will often attack
a boat and en-
deavour to cap-
size it with their
mighty tusks.
For modern
sportsmen, armed
with weapons of
unfailing accuracy, the walrus has, however, lost most of his
terrors. His powerful weapons of defence avail him little.
Even the primitive Eskimos succeed in slaying these aquatic
monsters. They first harpoon them, and then, as soon as
they can come to close quarters, attack them mercilessly
with lances, the animals soon succumbing from the countless
wounds inflicted upon them. The walrus has very rarely
been exhibited in captivity ; and I may therefore consider

Walruses.

LIFE AT STELLINGEN 243

myself fortunate in that I have received during recent years
several separate consignments of the creatures. Of course,
it is only possible to capture them alive when they are quite
young. I understand that mine were secured by surprising
them on the ice and seizing them after their parents had been
slain.

The first two walruses which I received both died within
a few weeks ; two others which I had later on lived for
nearly two years. They are very sensitive, and require
careful looking after, being especially liable to catch cold.
The last of these first four walruses caught a cold when
winter was coming on, but we succeeded in curing the
animal by the agency of a steam bath. It lived till it was
about three years old, and, when it died, it weighed fully
8 cwt. I believe that a walrus is full-grown at about ten
years of age, and it then weighs about a ton and a quarter.
I need hardly say that such large animals require a prodigi-
ous quantity of food. To the first two which I had, in spite
of their youth, I gave over 20 lbs. a day. Cod, halibut, and
various kinds of fish were the staple food. I cut it up into
small pieces, and took out the bone, so that the animals
could easily consume the pieces in the water. The second
two walruses that I received used to devour between them
no less than 180 lbs. of fish daily, though they were at that
time not three years old. From this it may easily be inferred
how great must be the appetite of a full-grown walrus and
how prodigious the quantity of food which he has to catch.

It was only after much trouble and many disappointments
that I succeeded, in October, 1907, in obtaining more walruses
for my garden. In that month, however, I secured three
individuals which had been captured in the Kara Straits near
Waigatz Island, and were sent me by Dr. Breitfuss, the
leader of a scientific expedition to those parts. Their captor
fed them exclusively on the blubber of the common seal, and
when they first arrived at Stellingen the same diet was con-
tinued. But, after a time, all the available blubber came to

16 *

244 BEASTS AND MEN

an end, and it became necessary to give the animals some
other food. I therefore offered them codfish, but this, although
it was readily accepted by the two females, was persistently
refused by the male. I thought I should see him perish of
starvation before my very eyes, until I tried the experiment
of offering him some shark. This he devoured with seeming
satisfaction, thus breaking a fast of no less than a fortnight.
Later on he consented to eat codfish like the females, but the
bones always had to be carefully extracted before it was given
to him. Feeding walruses is in fact rather like feeding chil-
dren. The food is held out invitingly before them and they
take it piece by piece. But their appetites are very far from
childish. Last month the three young walruses devoured no
less than 2^ tons of fish costing me over ^30.

In September, 1908, my collection was enriched by the
addition of five more walrus cubs, two males and three females.
Thus I am now able to exhibit eight of these animals — a fact
of which I think I am justified in being proud, seeing that
there are none in any other Zoological Garden in the world,
except that at Copenhagen, and there only one. These five
were brought me from Hammerfest by a certain Captain
Hansen, who gave me much interesting information about
their habits in the wild state, as well as about the mode of
catching them. Captain Hansen, who is a Norwegian by
birth, has had considerable experience of hunting walruses,
which he has carried on in the Arctic Seas ever since 1886.
For the last sixteen years he has been captain of a ship of his
own which he calls The Seventh of June after the date of his
own baptism.

The walruses are killed by harpooning ; and for this
purpose a peculiar kind of boat is built, about twenty feet
long and seven feet wide. The boat is not clinker-built like
ordinary boats, for the planks of which it is made, instead
of overlapping, fit exactly into one another, leaving the
outer surface of the boat quite smooth. The floor of the
boat is lined with metal, and there is in the forepart a

V

LIFE AT STELLINGEN 247

platform carrying an upright post firmly fixed at the bottom.
To this post is attached the end of the very long line
fastened to the harpoon. When a walrus is to be har-
pooned, a man stands upon the platform, with the line lying
loosely upon it ready for use. After the animal has been
harpooned, the line is drawn through a notch at the side
of the boat, for it would, of course, be very dangerous
if the walrus, in swimming backwards and forwards, were
able to pull the line freely over the boat. Eight of these
notches are provided, as it often takes several harpoons to
kill one walrus. A boat's crew consists of four men, of
whom three row, while the fourth stands on the platform
and hurls the harpoon. The distance at which it is usually
thrown is about twenty-five yards ; and I am told that the
record is thirty-seven yards. As soon as it is harpooned
the walrus dives, and the harpooner knows by the slackening
or tightening of the line whether the animal is coming
towards him or going in the opposite direction. In the
latter case, which usually happens when females have been
struck, there is not much danger ; but in the former case the
crew have to be very sharply on the look-out, for the
wounded animal will rise quite close to the boat and attempt
to attack his enemies. But even when the line becomes
taut and the creature swims rapidly away, the line often has
to be cut to avoid being capsized. This is especially frequent
when the harpooned walrus has been lying on an ice-floe,
and makes for the water on the opposite side of the floe from
the boat. Similarly, when a walrus herd has been surprised
whilst lying on the coast, it is usual first to kill the animals
nearest the water, in order to block the way of escape for
those which happened to be farther inland. When they
have been harpooned the walruses are despatched as quickly
as possible with guns, especially constructed by the Nor-
wegians for the purpose. The capture of some of my last
walruses nearly cost the hunters their lives ; for the young
cubs which had been brouofht on board grave out such

248 BEASTS AND MEN

appealing cries for help, that a gigantic male was attracted
and delivered a furious attack upon the boat, driving three
crreat holes through it with his tusks.

The commonest way of catching young walruses is to kill
the mother ; indeed this is usually necessary before the cap-
ture can be carried out. One of the animals I now have at
Stellingen was caught in a very ingenious though pathetic
manner. The mother was first killed and drawn into close
proximity with the boat, which was then allowed to remain
still. Before very long the cub came looking for his mother,
and having found her, climbed up on her back, where he was
easily caught and secured. On the voyage when the hunters
captured the five walruses which I have mentioned as being
recently added to my collection, no fewer than sixty-eight
others were killed. The captors were able to sell their hides
for £3 1 955- per cwt. Captain Hansen says that the largest
walruses are to be found in Franz-Josef Land. During last
year's catch an animal was found there with tusks two feet
six inches long and weighing 5^ lbs. each. They were sold
for about 3s. 2d. per lb.

Except during the pairing season, in September and Octo-
ber, the sexes among the walruses live separately, the young
going about with the females. Thus in the year 1 886 Cap-
tain Hansen found on the north coast of North-East Land a
herd of 370 individuals, all females. Every one of them was
slaughtered by five ships' crews. The females also frequent
the north coast of Spitzbergen at about 81° N. latitude. The
males, on the other hand, may be found in Storefiord,
the straits between Spitzbergen and Edge Island. The
largest male seen by the hunters on their last voyage
weighed nearly 3 tons. This animal they were fortunate
enough to kill, and its hide alone weighed nearly half a ton.
The young were caught near Cape Flora in Northbrook
Island, but the richest hunting-ground is now the north coast
of Siberia.

According to Captain Hansen, the food of walruses con-

LIFE AT STELLINGEN 249

sists mafnly of minute marine animals, which swim or float
near the surface of the ocean, and in particular they consume
a large number of tiny crustaceans. In addition to these they
devour a large number of sand- worms, which are found in
great quantities in the stomachs of the captured animals. On
one occasion Hansen saw a walrus attacking a dead seal. He
had already made large holes with his tusks in the carcase
and was sucking away at the blubber. Unfortunately Han-
sen was unable to ascertain whether the walrus had killed the
seal, or merely found it dead.

The tusks of the females are about one-third shorter than
those of the males, and are also thinner and not so heavy.

Walruses roar with such a terrific sound that it can be
heard for two and a half miles down wind ; indeed so pene-
trating is it, that, when there are fogs, the hunters often lay
their ship's course by the sound of the roaring.

The danger of hunting these animals may be illustrated
by the following incident. In the year 1897, near King
Charles Land, in the course of a walrus hunt, a careless
harpooner omitted to place the line in its notch, foolishly
leaving it loose on the side of the boat, after he had speared
a walrus. His carelessness resulted in the boat being cap-
sized, and all its four occupants killed. It happened that
the animal which they had attacked was a powerful male
who immediately made for his antagonists. The first one he
came to he instantly pierced through the back with both
tusks. Four times did he come to the surface of the water,
and each time he picked off one of the four men until they
had all been annihilated. Two of them endeavoured to
escape by swimming away, but the infuriated animal speedily
overtook them. The fourth clambered on to the top of the
overturned boat, but that availed him nothino-. The walrus
attacked the boat with such violence that the man was un-
able to keep his hold, and shortly fell a victim to the animal's
fierce vengeance.

I was extremely interested to watch the behaviour of my

250

BEASTS AND MEN

three older walruses when the five new arrivals were first
introduced to them at Stellingen. These five were brought
along to their new home in cages placed in a cart. Before
ever the cart arrived in sight of the old walruses, the latter
appeared to know that some of their kind were near at hand.
Whether they smelt them or heard them I cannot say ; but
the fact remains that they fell into a state of extraordinary

excitement. The male came out
of the water, followed by the two
females, and they all three set up
a terrific bellowing. It was curi-
ous to note how thev foamed at
the mouth and how their eyes be-
came bloodshot with excitement.
When the young ones were re-
leased from their cages the older
residents received them with
every sign of a warm welcome,
coming up all round them and
sniffinor at them. Indeed the
high intelligence and sense of
fellowship which has been sup-
posed to characterise these ani-
mals was fully borne out on the
present occasion. I called to the
keeper to bring some fish and we
then straightway commenced to
feed the creatures.

Feeding walruses when they
are first caught is not a very
easy matter. I am told that in the case of the last
consignment, the first two cubs to be captured refused
to eat for nine days. The third, however, only fasted
for two days, and it was through his good example that
the others also commenced to eat. When the whole party
arrived at Stellingen there was no difficulty, for they quickly

Penguin.

LIFE AT STELLINGEN

2qi

perceived the anxiety of the older walruses to secure the
food, and proceeded to emulate their example with the most
vigorous appetites. Before long they were as tame and
confiding as if they had been in the park all their lives.
I may now give some statistics as to the population of
my animal community and their necessaries of life. In
August, 1908, I took a census of all my animals, which
worked out as follows : —

15 orangs, chimpanzees and gib-
bons.
1 09 monkeys of 2 2 different species.

91 feline carnivores, including 49
lions, 26 tigers, and 3 lion-
tiger hybrids.

18 polar bears.

1 2 bears of other species.

40 hyaenas and canine carnivores
of 15 different species.

13 elephants.

3 hippopotami.

2 African rhinoceroses.

4 tapirs.

In the Arctic Panorama : —

3 walruses.

4 sea-lions.
I sea-bear.

ig

12

3 giraffes.

21 camels, dromedaries, and
lamas.

57 deer.

43 head of cattle, includin,
bison and 17 buffalo.

84 wild sheep, domestic sheep,
ibexes, and goats, of 18 dif-
ferent species.

43 antelopes, including elands,
water-bucks, kudus, etc.
I wart-hog.

73 equine herbivores, including 21
zebras.

3 smaller seals
species.

of different

96 rodents of 8 different species.
8 armadillos.

12 kangaroos.

There were 1,072 birds, including 48 African ostriches,
18 South American ostriches, 11 Australian ostriches, 13
cassowaries, 295 swimming birds, 273 waders, of which
90 were flamingoes and 82 cranes, 16 birds of prey, 187
fowls, 116 song birds, 69 parrots, and 21 toucans.

Among reptiles I had 36 turtles, 1 1 crocodiles and alli-
gators, and 68 snakes.

The community consisted, therefore, of nearly 2,000 in-
habitants, worth over ^50,000.

252

BEASTS AND MEN

It may easily be imagined that the commissariat of this
community is no easy matter to manage. A full-grown
lion or tiger consumes every day from lo to 15 lbs. of meat,
while an elephant, even when not working, receives 10 lbs,
of oats, 5 lbs. of bran, 40 lbs. of rapes and 60 lbs. of hay — an
allowance which has to be increased when it is made to do
work. A hippopotamus cannot do with less than 10 lb. of
crushed oats, 6 lb. of bran, 16 lb. of rye bread, 20 lb. of
rapes, and 20 lb. of hay per diem. The animals are not
accustomed to dainties ; yet from the following list may be
seen the great variety of food which they receive. The list
is taken from the records of the kitchen department, show-
ing the amount consumed in one year : —

85,980 kilogms. ^ of horseflesh.

6,350 kilogms. of cabbage.

26,093

>f

beef.

250

,,

lettuce.

84

score pigeons.

200

,,

John's bread.

250

,,

rabbits.

800

,»

oil cake.

120

>>

fowls.

3,500

>>

acorns and

48,184 kilogms.

of fish.

chestnuts.

9,602

,,

white bread.

300

,,

dates.

14,931

,,

rye bread.

1,200

,,

bananas.

8,342

,,

horse cakes.

5,000

score eggs.

6,360

,,

dog biscuits.

19,039

litres

^ of milk.

15,800

,,

maize.

1,380

kilog

;ms.

of oatmeal.

16,200

),

crushed maize.

43,260

,,

straw.

9,600

,,

wheat.

89,249

„

hay.

28,130

)»

oats.

150,600

,,

Timothy hay.

44,684

»,

crushed oats.

15,900

,,

clover.

11,886

,,

maslin.

1,100

,,

hemp.

5,200

,,

barley.

1,300

,,

buck wheat.

46,000

>,

bran.

850

,,

millet.

900

,,

peas.

3,300

,,

rice.

5,500

,,

potatoes.

7,500

)j

alpine hay and

900

,,

horse molasses.

reindeer moss.

5,920

,,

carrots.

105,000

,)

grass.

20,000

,,

rapes.

6,450

,,

chopped straw.

^ There are slightly more than 1,000 kilogrammes to a ton.
^ There are about if pints to a litre.

LIFE AT STELLINGEN

253

To this list I should add meat soups, milk and fruit soups,
whordeberry wine, meal, cherries, grapes, and other fruits
for the apes ; further, nearly 50,000 kilos of rye and oat straw,
as also (though it hardly comes into this reckoning) 20,000
kilos turf-litter for the beds, and about 200,000 kilos coke
and charcoal. The cost of all this amounts, in round figures,

to ^7>500- „

The animal park is far from being yet completed. Only

this year a second portion of it was opened, in which the
ethnographic exhibitions are to be held and which is to con-
tain a new performing theatre. In the coming year a third

Newly-arrived penguins being fed.

large portion Is to be opened, including a miniature railway
running round a pond. On the banks of the pond there will be
scattered artistic life-size representations of various prehistoric
animals, so that the visitor may fancy that he has been trans-
ported back thousands of centuries In time. The cerato-
saurus, fifty feet high, and the stegosaurus will both be there ;

254 BEASTS AND MEN

while among the tree-tops the thunder-lizard, the monstrous
brontosaurus of one hundred and fifty feet long, will raise its
head. The remaining part is to contain an ape house, a large
monkey house, the ostrich farm, and other enclosures.

Besides these various undertakings, I have recently pur-
chased a new piece of ground to the north-east of the present
portion of my park. Here another farm is being made, where
new experiments in breeding cattle and equine animals are to
be carried out. These experiments have already begun, but
it will take several years before the arrangements are com-
plete. Money is the first necessity for the execution of these
projects, and I have therefore to exercise careful supervision
in order to ensure that the business should be economically
conducted.

Let me take this opportunity of correcting an erroneous
impression which has received widespread currency. It is
not the case that any Bank or Financial Syndicate has any
interest in the multifarious business situated at Stellingen.
Both the park and the business itself are my own private
property. The neighbouring land, on the other hand, be-
longs, as I have already explained, to a limited Company in
which 1 possess a certain interest.

CHAPTER XI/

THE OSTRICH-FARM AT STELLINGEN.

Not very long ago it would have been considered a wild
dream if anybody had suggested that it were possible in the
latitude of Hamburg to allow ostriches out of doors in the
winter ; and it would have appeared still more incredible that
an ostrich-farm should be established in that locality. Yet
this has now become -a. fait accompli. Since the early months
of 1909, when the ostrich-farm at Stellingen was first in-
augurated, the many doubters have been convinced of its
practical success. While this marks an era in the progress of
the art of managing wild animals, it holds out at the same
time promise of a valuable trade in ostrich feathers.

The idea of attempting to acclimatise ostriches did not
occur to me all of a sudden. Durino- the first three winters
of the present century, when I used to keep ostriches in the
ordinary manner in heated stables, I lost no fewer than twenty
of these birds. I thought that their death might be attribut-
able to the fact of their confinement in close stables, without
opportunity for movement ; and I determined to test the
accuracy of this opinion by an experiment. So in the winter
of 1903-4 I allowed my African ostriches, as also a two-
spotted cassowary, to have access to the open air — except
when there was slippery ice which would make it dangerous.
All the birds survived and thrived excellently. Ever since,
I have kept them during the winter in unheated stables, from
which they could walk out at any time into the fresh air. So

1 This chapter was written by Carl Hagenbeck especially for the pre-
sent translation.

255

256 BEASTS AND MEN

far from having been injured by exposure to the cold, they
appear rather to have improved with the treatment. A thicker
growth of feathers than normal appeared in response to the
new environment.

It is some years ago now since I paid my third visit to
the ostrich-farm at Nizza ; and it was after inspecting the
contrivances kept there for rearing the chicks that I took
the decision to establish an ostrich-farm at Stellingen. It
so happened that an assistant, who was engaged at Nizza,
asked me in the course of my visit if I could do anything to
help him towards attaining a position of greater independ-
ence. Great was his surprise when I replied that I had de-
termined to establish for myself an ostrich-farm at Stellingen,
and should be happy to engage him as manager. He was
at first so doubtful as to the possibility of the success of such
an experiment, that he hesitated to accept the proffered post.
The climate of Stellingen was bad ; ostriches could only
flourish in climates that were dry and sunny ; if bad weather
were suddenly to supervene, he knew from experience that
the ostriches would quickly be killed. I was well aware,
however, that Mr. Millen, for that was his name, had been
very successful in hatching out chickens in incubators, and I
soon dispelled his apprehensions and engaged him as man-
ager of my prospective ostrich-farm.

A suitable stretch of land (covering an area of more than
six acres) lay at my disposal for the purpose ; and in the
summer of 1908 we commenced the work of laying it out in
accordance with the plans which I proceeded to devise with
the help of my son and Mr. Millen. On the 21st June,
1909, the scheme had so far advanced that we were able
to take round the German Empress : showing her the first
ostrich-farm ever established in the north, as also a young
chick just emerged from the egg. Between 20th June and
6th September, 1909, on which date these lines are being
written, we have been successful in hatching out no fewer
than thirteen African and one American ostriches. These

THE OSTRICH-FARM AT STELLINGEN

■S7

birds are so strong and vigorous that I think there is every
hope that we shall be able to bring them up to maturity.
From the fourth to the fifth week they actually gained
I lb. in weight every day. Although we only have three
pairs of breeding birds, we have twenty-two eggs at present
in the incubator, most of which apparently have been fertil-
ised ; so we have every reason to be satisfied with the re-
sults which we have obtained. Among the many ostriches

Mr. Millen and the German Emperor with a four-week-old chicken.

which I have recently imported I think there are certain to
be ten or twelve good breeding pairs for the coming year,
and the prospects for the future appear in consequence very
bright. Let me take the reader on a tour of inspection
round the various divisions of the ostrich-farm.

The Main Enclosure.

We first come to the main building, forty-five yards long by

nine yards wide. On every side of it windows have been

17

258 BEASTS AND MEN

inserted, so that, from whichever direction the wind is blowing,,
ventilation may be secured without the evil of a draught. It
has also three exits which can be closed by wooden doors. In
connection with this building there is an extensive meadow,
serving as an exercise ground and of sufficient size to hold
1 20 ostriches without undue crowding. In the centre of this
meadow we have erected a sheltering roof for the purpose of
protecting the food, which is placed under it, from the in-
fluence of the weather. There is also supplied a small pond
for bathing purposes, which is greatly appreciated by the
birds. Various separate enclosures are fenced off at one end
of the main enclosure, while, at another end of it, the visitor
may see the stalls which are used for breeding purposes.
These consist of five small houses with a porch and separate
yard attached to each. Each house is further divided into
two compartments, so that there are in all ten compartments
with a corresponding number of yards, providing comfortable
abodes for ten pairs of breeding animals.

Our breedingf animals are of course the finest birds that
we possess, and are selected with very particular care. Some
of those which we have selected, although only two years old,
have already attained a height at the top of the back of nearly five
feet, and may truly be described as giant birds : but of course
I have a few weaklings on my farm, just as other people have.
There is, for instance, a hen, coming from an ostrich-farm in
South Africa, which has failed to develop properly and shows
all the signs of physical degeneration. The ostriches in the
farm belong to five geographical varieties — Somali, East
African, West African, Cape ostriches, and ostriches from
the Abubaama, a tributary of the Blue Nile, these latter in-
cluding two specially fine cocks.

The Hospital.

After passing the separate houses just described, the path
leads to another building furnished with projecting eaves, tO'
serve as shelter for sickly or convalescent birds. Here also-

THE OSTRICH-FARM AT STELLINGEN 259

are placed the animals which have just arrived from foreign
parts, so that they may have time to get over the effects of
their sea voyage and become used to their new environment,
before going loose among the rest. This is a very necessary
precaution ; for if they were placed at once among the other
ostriches before becoming accustomed either to the climate
or to the food, they would die in a very short time.

The Chicken-house.

At the conclusion of his round, the visitor arrives at the
chicken-house, where the young ostriches are born and pass
the first few weeks of their lives. Part of this chicken-house
is separated off from the rest by a glass door, and is devoted
to the housing of the incubator. Here the eggs are kept
day and night at an even temperature, and, if the visitor is
lucky, he may, perchance, see eggs which are half pecked
open by the chickens inside trying to get out. On the other
side of the building there is a long compartment in which
the chicks are placed soon after they have been hatched. It
is separated from the visitor by a glass wall, and is partly
overgrown with the lucern which acts as food for the chicks.
The floor of the chicken-room is covered with sand, and
there is an arrangement of hot-water pipes for warming
not only the air of the room but also the sand itself After
they are hatched, the chickens are left for a short time in the
incubator and they are then transferred to this chamber.
It is very important that the young animals should not be
allowed out in the wet, and the chicken-house serves the
purpose of a shelter for them in rainy weather. It is, how-
ever, provided with glass doors leading into a clover field,
so that they may have opportunities of running about out-
side when the weather is sunny.

Many causes concurred in moving me to establish the
ostrich-farm at Stellingen. In the first place there has
always been a continuous demand for ostriches from per-
sons wishing to establish ostrish-farms abroad. Previously

17 *

26o BEASTS AND MEN

I used to find considerable difficulty in meeting this demand.
Importation is not only difficult but extremely expensive
on account of the large mortality among the birds during
transit. The demand has been especially keen during the
last four years, in the course of which time I have sold
more birds than during the whole previous existence of my
firm. I felt therefore under great pressure to set up an
establishment at which I could breed the animals myself.
Furthermore, I found that many of the ostriches bred in
foreign ostrich-farms were very poorly developed and in a
degenerate condition ; and I was convinced that this arose
from inadequate care in the selection of breeding animals.
The point which is especially apt to be neglected is the neces-
sity for the infusion of fresh blood from time to time, thus
securing, not only a stronger offspring but a better quality
of feathers. Keeping this requirement in mind, I have
stocked my farm with over loo individuals belonging to
the five finest varieties of African ostriches in existence.
From among these I select only the best for breeding
purposes. Besides breeding the pure races, I hope to
cross the different varieties with each other so as to secure
as wide a range of variation as possible in the progeny.
My example has inspired many people, both in Germany and
Austria, to make inquiries respecting the management of
ostrich-farms. But it will take at least three years before
one can tell with certainty the practical outcome of the experi-
ments now being conducted ; and, until that time has expired,
I should not encourage any one to enter upon ostrich-farming
in our climate from a purely business point of view. If my
own enterprise has already turned out to be profitable for me,
it does not follow that it would be found profitable also by
others ; and I am not yet in a position to say what amount
of risk attaches to such undertakings. My chances, however,
are certainly better than those of anybody else. In the first
place, I am able to take as much as ^1,200 a year in entrance
fees for the inspection of the ostrich-farm. In the second

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THE OSTRICH-FARM AT STELLINGEN

263

place, I sell the feathers direct to the purchasers, without the
disadvantage of having to pay a commission to English
middlemen. In the third place, the sale of the birds which
have been bred brines in an annual sum which is not to be
despised. These advantages would for the most part not be
available in any ordinary farm.

Ostriches begin to breed in their fourth year and the
nesting and hatching of the young present many peculiarities.
" Nest " indeed is a somewhat euphemistic term to apply to

Just hatched.

the little hollows in the gfround where the eees are laid.
This hollow is scraped out by the cock bird with his feet,
but not infrequently the hen disregards the preparations of
her consort and deposits the eggs without method anywhere
on the ground. The cock will then collect the scattered
eggs, and roll them all together into the hollow which he has
dug out. When three or four have in this way been brought
together in the hollow, the hen will of her own accord lay
the rest of the clutch in the same place. In the wild state,

264

BEASTS AND MEN

after the eggs have been laid, they are sat upon by the hen
during the day and by the cock at night. They are very
large relative to the size of the bird, and contain as much food
material as two and a half to three dozen fowls' eggs. The
ordinary size of a clutch is from twelve to fifteen eggs. Since,
however, we take the eggs as soon as they are laid and put
them in the incubator, the hen, relieved by these artificial
means of the duty of sitting upon them, will lay as many as
thirty good eggs a year.

Incubator with the first chick born at Stellingen, 20th June, igog.

After the eggs have been placed in the incubator, a
period of about six weeks elapses before they are hatched.
For the first twenty-four hours after they have been hatched
the chicks are allowed to remain in the incubator in order
that they may become thoroughly dry. They are then
brought into the chamber specially provided for infant
ostriches. For the first two days their only food consists of
the egg-shells from which they have been hatched, broken
up into small pieces. They are then placed upon a diet of
lucern, which, as I have already said, is kept in abundant

THE OSTRICH-FARM AT STELLINGEN 265

quantities in the chicken-house. For nearly two months they
continue to feed on this green food. They are allowed to
run out of the house on fine days only, and, when the weather
is cold or damp, are kept carefully in their house. In the
seventh week after their birth the process of acclimatisation
is commenced. The young birds are taken into a house
which has not been artificially heated, and they are allowed
to run out even on days when it is cold or damp. The last
four weeks before the moment of writing these lines have
been both very cold and wet, and have provided a very se-
vere test of the validity of the method of inuring the young
chicks to the climate. They have, however, passed through
it admirably, showing by their gaiety and sprightliness that
they are in the best of health. In the seventh week also
they begin to be weaned from their infantine food. They
are given for the first time the same kind of food that is pro-
vided for the adults. This consists of hay chopped up with
maize, bran, and barley, mixed together. Every bird re-
ceives in addition i lb. of bone daily, broken up in small
pieces. Experience shows that they thrive excellently when
treated in this manner.

After six months one is able to gather the first harvest of
feathers, and thereafter every nine months a new crop can be
taken. The feathers are cut and not pulled out, so that the
process itself is painless to the birds. The mode of procedure
is as follows : The ostrich whose feathers are to be taken is
brought out of the farm and has his head enveloped in some
kind of a hood, usually a stocking, so that he is unable to
watch the operations. He then generally surrenders himself
to his fate. He is next placed in a wooden vice, which holds
him perfectly still, and enables the cutting to be performed
without danger to the operator. The tail and wing feathers
are of course the most valuable from the commercial point of
view. They are cut down so that only about two inches of
the ends of the quills are left. The ends ripen in about three
months, and are then either plucked out by the birds themselves

266 BEASTS AND MEN

or removed for them by their keepers. The feathers are sorted
immediately they have been cut, those coming from the cocks
being kept separate from those coming from the hens.
They are all sent off to London, where they are sold by
auction and despatched to every part of the world.

It is much to be hoped that, before long, ostrich feathers
will come to be considered the most ornamental and useful
feathers for ladies' hats. If such a fashion could be intro-
duced, the massacre of many millions of very beautiful and
valuable birds would be put an end to. It is high time that
this should be done, for the slaughter is rapidly leading to
the extinction of some of the most handsome species in the
world. This abominable trade is still carried on vigorously
in Germany, but I am glad to say that in England the
fashions are not quite so barbarous, and ostrich feathers are
used to a far greater extent than they are in Germany. The
most recent statistics show that South African farmers make
from their ostriches a profit of from £2 los. to ^3 each per
annum, and in the year 1907 there were exported from
Cape Colony alone no less than 598,267 lbs. of ostrich
feathers valued at ^1,819,668.

There seems no reason why the German colonists in
East and South-West Africa should not do as well in this
trade as the people of Cape Colony, but it certainly is the
case that they do not. There is no sort of reason, moreover,
why any of the countries of South America should not do
equally well. I have always found that ostriches may be
safely kept in large fields in company with quadrupeds, and
on the immense prairies of South America, carrying hundreds
of thousands of cattle, it would be little extra trouble to the
persons in charge of them to maintain large numbers of
ostriches at the same time. I am convinced that by this
expedient the owners of large herds of cattle could make a
considerable increase in their annual profits.

In October, 1903, I received an order from a Rajah in
Nepal to send him two pairs of African ostriches. They

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THE OSTRICH-FARM AT STELLINGEN

269

arrived safely at their destination, and were then turned loose
by the Rajah in his garden. So quickly did they become
accustomed to their new surroundings that they at once be-
gan to breed, and there was soon a large family of young
chickens. In fact they multiplied so fast that the Rajah,

Riding an ostrich.

some time afterwards, wanted to sell some of them to one of
my agents who was travelling in Nepal last year. I did not
take them, however. What with the long journey and high
freight the transaction could not have been profitable, even if
he had presented them to me free of charge. I only now
narrate the story in order to show how, in a favourable

270 BEASTS AND MEN

climate, the birds will thrive and multiply abundantly, with
scarcely any care or observation.

The natives of the Sudan and of Somaliland are
thoroughly acquainted with the art of hatching out the eggs
of wild ostriches. This they do by a sort of natural system
of incubation, in place of the artificial system prevailing
among Europeans. They make a shallow hollow in the
ground, and after having collected the eggs, they place them
in this hollow, taking care that they do not come into con-
tact with one another. The intervening spaces are then
filled up with loose sand or with doura, so that the eggs are
entirely covered up. As shelter from the fierce rays of the
sun, a few branches are thrown together over the hollow.
From time to time the eggs are turned round, so that they
are warmed equally on every side. By this method several
of my travellers, and especially Menges, have hatched out
eggs in the Sudan. The young have usually thriven well,
and in most cases have been successfully transported to
Europe.

Some years ago a number of ostrich eggs were brought
to a friend of mine, who was living in Somaliland. He
happened to be busy at the time, and, putting them into
his desk, went away and forgot all about them. About
a fortnight later he had occasion to go again to his desk,
but, on opening it, he started back in terror, crying out
for some one to bring him a stick, for that there was a snake
in his desk and he wanted to kill it. A stick was brought,
and the desk again very cautiously opened ; upon which
there emerged instead of the terrible reptile, which he had
anticipated, the head and neck of an ostrich chick just escaped
from its egg-shell. Nothing more need be said to show how
little care or trouble is needed to hatch out these animals in
suitable climates. In such countries the natives give them
for food large quantities of meat and also some bone. They
feed on green vegetable food as well ; and in Somaliland in
particular upon a creeping plant called armo.

THE OSTRICH-FARM AT STELLINGEN

271

Ostriches are hunted in several different ways. In So-
maliland the common method is to use a female bird as a
decoy. A cord several hundred yards long is tied to the
decoy bird, and she is then taken out to the districts which
the wild ostriches are known to frequent. On reaching the
scene of action, the huntsman conceals himself behind a bush,
and, holding the end of the cord in his hand, lets the female
ostrich go free. The wild cock birds are soon attracted

Driving an ostrich.

towards her, and when they are together the huntsman
gradually hauls in the cord so that the wild birds, unwitting
of their danger, are slowly brought nearer to their mortal foe.
Thirty or forty yards is near enough for the huntsman's pur-
pose. At that distance they are well within arrow range, and
he proceeds to shoot them with a poisoned dart. The arrow
is perfectly noiseless in its flight through the air, and the
bird which has been struck makes little disturbance ; but after
a short time the poison takes effect upon him and he quietly

272 BEASTS AND MEN

succumbs. In this way nothing happens to alarm the other
birds in the neighbourhood, and half a dozen are often slain
one after the other. If a gun had been used, the whole flock
would of course have been scared away at the first discharge.

The Bushmen in South Africa hunt ostriches somewhat
differently. They cover their heads and bodies with the skins
of dead ostriches, so that when walking along they much re-
semble real ostriches. They can thus approach to within
close distance of a flock and shoot the birds with their poisoned
arrows. The Bedouins hunt ostriches by riding them down
with swift horses — a sport of which they are very fond. One
of my huntsmen on a journey to the interior once rode down
and killed with a sword no fewer than three male ostriches in
succession, without changing his horse.

To persons considering the possibility of establishing
ostrich-farms, my advice would be to begin with only a few
breeding pairs, so that, if their inexperience should lead to
failure, the loss will not be on too large a scale. This, I may
mention, is the course recommended by the Government of
Cape Colony to the farmers in that country. Although by
this method success can only come slowly, it is likely to be
much more sure, for an ambitious beginning usually results in
a premature end. It will perhaps be objected to my proposal
for the establishment of so many ostrich-farms, that the supply
of feathers would soon outrun the demand, and that therefore
their value would sink so as to render the business unprofit-
able. To this my reply is that I have little doubt that be-
fore long laws will be passed in civilised countries for pro-
hibiting the importation of feathers from ornamental birds
for ladies' hats. An immediate result of such lesfislation
would be that the demand for and consequently the value of
ostrich feathers would rapidly increase ; so that there is little
danger that this commodity will ever become a drug on the
market.

CHAPTER XII.

ANTHROPOID APES.

The anthropoid apes have always been particular favourites
of mine ; and I have at all times endeavoured to secure as
large a number of these interesting animals as possible. This
foible of mine has in fact cost me considerable sums : for the
apes, in their natural state, live in moist tropical regions and
suffer very much from the severity of our northern latitudes.
But in spite of this, I have been very successful with these
creatures, and am especially proud of a fine pair of orang-
outangs called Jacob and Rosa, and also of a clever chim-
panzee called Moritz, who have by this time become quite
well-known personages in the town of Hamburg. The two
orangs I purchased from a farmer, who got them in Borneo
when they were quite young, and brought them up on the
bottle. For seven years they were kept in captivity in
Borneo. Captivity, however, is perhaps hardly the word,
for they had complete liberty, and were treated as though
they were members of the family. They used always to
have their mid-day meal at table with their master, eating
precisely the same food as he did himself They were in
short treated just like children, and very polite and well-
behaved children too. On their voyage to Europe they were
treated more like passengers than apes. At all times they
were free to wander about on board, and they speedily be-
came the pets of all the ship's crew. Since they had so long
been accustomed to freedom I realised the danger of placing
them, when they came to my animal park, in undue restraint

or in a cramped and badly ventilated cage. I therefore

273 18

274

BEASTS AND MEN

procured a special waggon-cage, the walls of which were on
every side formed only by bars. On the north and east
sides canvas was stretched to provide protection from the

Such is life.

weather. In the waggon-cage a large closed-in wooden box
was placed, which the animals could go into at night. In
this way I was able to keep them all through the summer of

i8

ANTHROPOID APES 277

1907. I feared, however, that the creatures would suffer from
the loss of the society to which they had been accustomed ;
so I told off one of my keepers to the sole duty of minding
them and remaining constantly with them. I hoped thus
to ward off the ill effects of the tediousness of their life, and
my hope was amply justified. The animals not only con-
tinued to thrive on the physical side, but showed great de-
velopment on the mental side as well. When the cold
season arrived, I thought it inadvisable to keep them any
longer in the open waggon-cage and I therefore had a com-
partment erected in the giraffe house for them to pass the
winter in.

Some time after the acquisition of these two orangs, Moritz
made his appearance. He is a male chimpanzee, about seven
years old, and he quickly made friends with the orangs. The
three anthropoids passed the winter together most satisfactorily
in the oriraffe house. We took care to ventilate the buildinor
thoroughly by means of windows placed high up near the
roof, so that the temperature there was never tropical. On
the return of summer, I devised a cage for them from which
they could emerge at any time into the open air. I still kept
them in the giraffe house, but I set aside a portion of the open
enclosure of the sfiraffes for their use. The ca^es in which
they were confined communicated with the enclosure by
means of doors, which opened by being merely pushed,
and then closed again by their own weight. The apes soon
learnt to push open the doors when they wanted to get out.
In both the inner cage and the outer enclosure gymnastic ap-
pliances were set up, so that the creatures should have plenty
of opportunity for amusing themselves. They are very fond of
fun, and in their sports I have seen much that is interesting
and amusing. I ought to say at once that the naturally high
capacities of anthropoids are greatly enhanced by constant
association with human beings, and never fully develop except
in such association. The chimpanzee is far the most vivacious
and mischievous of the three- He is always the ringleader

278

BEASTS AND MEN

in the various pranks and tricks which they play, the orangs
merely following him out of friendship. One of his favourite
tricks is to snatch hats from ladies and oentlemen who have
come to look at him, and then retire with his booty to a gym-

Diogenes.

nastic pole fixed in his cage. In order to carry out this
knavish trick he has to exercise a remarkable degree of cun-
ning. He takes advantage of a habit, v/hich the orangs have
acquired, of holding out their hands to greet visitors when
they come up. Sitting quietly near the front of the cage he

ANTHROPOID APES

279

appears to be taking no notice of anything, but when a visitor
reaches forward to shake hands with the orang, he dashes
with lightning speed at his hat, and seizing it with a dexterous
grasp whisks it off to the gymnastic bar. The sequel to these
performances was not so pleasant, for me at least, as the per-
formances themselves. I got tired after a time of having to
pay for new hats every day, and I was reduced to the neces-
sity of putting up a barrier between the apes and the public.

Somali child with orang-outang.

Even that, however, I found insufficient. The public were
in the habit of giving the creatures food, which was very un-
wholesome, and on two occasions brouo^ht them in dangler of
their lives. To prevent this I finally had a glass wall set up
to shut them off completely from visitors.

Moritz very easily becomes bored when the keeper goes
away ; and in order to relieve his feelings is much addicted to
practical jokes. He is very fond of singling out the orang
Jacob as a butt for his humour. When the latter is off his

28o BEASTS AND MEN

guard, he will jump suddenly upon his head in an endeavour
to knock him over. A hand-to-hand scuffle immediately
ensues, in which Moritz always comes off best, on account
of his superior agility. He quickly escapes from the clutches
of the orang, and a few leaps take him to the other end of
the cage. He is followed clumsily and deliberately by the
larger animal, but is never caught. As the orang does not
leap, he is never able to catch his tormentor, who keeps just
out of reach.

In his many attempts to escape from captivity, Moritz is
most inofenious and amusing. When we shut off a corner of
the giraffe house for the use of the apes, we did not think it
necessary to carry the partition right up to the roof The
house, having been built to accommodate giraffes, was of
course very high, and it never occurred to us as possible that
the apes might succeed in scaling the wooden partition which
we erected. Nevertheless Moritz did succeed in doing so.
When the keeper came along one day, he found the chim-
panzee among the giraffes, and could not imagine how he.
had got there. He afterwards found that he had employed
the following device : Up against the wooden partition stood
a wooden box which served as a sleeping place for the apes.
There was also kept in the cage a large tin globe. Moritz
had acquired a considerable influence over the lady orang,
Rosa, and he persuaded her to assist him in his efforts to
escape. By their united strength, they were able to push the
tin globe over to the sleeping box and set it on the top.
When this had been done Rosa stood upon the globe, up
against the wall, while Moritz climbed up on her shoulders.
From there he was just able by a vigorous bound to reach
the top of the partition with his hands. It was then scarcely
the work of a moment to draw himself up, and drop gently
among the giraffes. These animals paid little attention to the
chimpanzee, but if they came near him he would throw some-
thinor at them as a hint to mind their own business. When we
had discovered the method of the ape's escape, we thought we

ANTHROPOID APES

281

would effectually prevent it occurring again, by carrying the
partition some way higher. Moritz, however, was not to be
outwitted ; and his ingenuity was sufficient to overcome this
further obstacle. Among the gymnastic arrangements set up
for his use, was a long rope hanging from the ceiling. By
climbing some way up it, and giving it a swing backwards

Learning to kiss.

and forwards, he was able to bring himself within measurable
distance of the top of the partition ; and by an adroit leap, at
exactly the right moment, to secure a footing on the top.
Finally, we were obliged to carry the partition the whole way
up to the roof, in order to keep the animal securely con-
fined. He still, however, had his thoughts set on escaping.
He used to watch the keeper with interest when the latter

282 BEASTS AND MEN

inserted his key in the lock, in order to open the cage. The
keeper would often give him the keys to play about with^
and on one occasion he took advantage of this to try them
one after another in the lock of the door, to find out which
one it was that fitted it. After a time the right key was hit
upon, and the ape succeeded after several efforts in turning
the latch and opening the door. When I happened to come
along and was told what had occurred, I went to see the ape
in his cage, and asked him half jokingly, " how did you
manage to do this ? " He had all the appearance of under-
standing the tenor of my question, for he smiled slyly and
held up the key as if to say that that was what he did it with.

The intelligence of my anthropoids is by no means con-
fined to Moritz, for Jacob on one occasion was equally
successful in finding an exit from the cage. It so happened
that one day a piece of an iron rod had accidentally been
broken off by the creatures from one of the gymnastic appli-
ances inserted in their cage. Jacob took this piece of iron,
and proceeded to utilise it for bursting the lock. By insert-
ing it into the ring of the padlock, with their united strength
they were able to exercise so much leverage that the padlock
gave way. The cage door was opened and all three gained
their liberty. What further evidence could be required of
the high intelligence which these animals possess ? Rosa,
too, was not behindhand in devising means of escape. The
outer cage of the apes was constructed of wire, and her
method was to loosen the wire from its fastening, and so
break away an opening large enough for her to pass through.
She had, often before, been taken out of the cage by the
keeper, and led round to the main entrance into the animal
park to be given some bananas, which used to be sold there ;
and now when she had escaped she made rapidly for the
main entrance of her own accord without hesitatingf for a
moment as to the correct route, hoping no doubt to secure
there some of her coveted bananas.

To a lover of animals nothing can be more interesting

ANTHROPOID APES

283

than watching these great apes while at their food. For
breakfast they are given not only succulent fruits such as
bananas, but also bread and milk. For their mid-day meal
they have precisely the same food as is served to me in my
own house. They are not very dainty in their appetites, but
like solid homely food, and devour it with great relish. At

Having dinner.

times they are given good red wine mixed with water, a
beverage of which Jacob is decidedly fond, though Rosa with
her more ladylike instincts cares little for it. Their manners
at table are now perfectly refined and proper. Moritz acts as
the waiter. He has to bring in the food, which he does with
great pomp and ceremony, and he has to clear away the
things again after the meal is over. During the repast the
apes sit patiently on chairs drawn up to the table, and await

284

BEASTS AND MEN

the various courses which are served to them. They eat
after the manner of human beings with spoons and forks, and
they are very clever at ladling up their soup with the spoon.
It is true that if they thought no one was looking, they would
quickly revert to more expeditious methods, dispensing with
the spoon and using their lips instead ; but a word from the

Two orangs drinking soup.

keeper immediately recalls them to the manners of civilisation,
and the spoon is hastily seized once more.

All the apes are of course thoroughly amenable to the
control of the keeper. He knows how to make himself under-
stood by them, and they on their part watch him attentively
and carry out intelligently whatever instructions he delivers to
them. Jacob and Rosa are especially amenable in this re-
spect. They are very sensitive to verbal censure, and of

ANTHROPOID APES

285

course still more sensitive to corporal punishment. Moritz,
on the other hand, is a more thick-skinned and robust animal ;
not so easily controlled by either mode of reproof. The keeper
finds it necessary, therefore, when he has to be made to do
something, to keep at hand a stick on which the ape's atten-
tion may constantly fall.
When, for instance, he has
to be photographed, he is
seized with an irresistible
inclination to walk up to the
camera and oraze into it from
a distance which makes it
impossible to take his like-
ness. He requires a good
deal of cajoling before he
can be persuaded to take
up a proper pose. The
chimpanzee in these re-
spects is just the opposite
of the phlegmatic orang.
Unlike the orangf he is a
sanguine sort of individual,
and very mercurial in tem-
perament, changing in a
moment from the brightest
gaiety to the deepest de- ^iii, please, waiter 1

spondency, and vice versa. He can never keep his atten-
tion fixed on one thing for more than a moment or two, but
is constantly flying off at a tangent to some new idea which
has taken his fancy. His latest craze has been learning how
to ride a bicycle. It took him only a few weeks to perform
this feat, and he now rides astonishingly well. He appears to
find it great fun, moreover, and pedals about with such vigour
in my animal park that the trainer is hard put to it to keep up
with him.

For looking after these anthropoids I have secured a

286

BEASTS AND MEN

young Englishman, very efficient at his work ; and it is his
business to carry forward the education of the animals to
the highest possible extent. The conviction has gradually

An egg, please, uncle dear !

Strengthened within me that anthropoid apes may, by a
systematic education from their earliest youth, be accustom.ed
to live just like human beings. And I intend to proceed with
my experiments aiming at the realisation of this idea. Inti-
mate association with human beings is the proper method of

ANTHROPOID APES

287

going to work. It would of course be fatal with such highly
organised creatures to endeavour to educate them by general
principles alone. One ape differs very much from another,
and the peculiarities of each have to be carefully watched and
made the most of It is no less necessary for a trainer to bear
in mind the idiosyncrasies of the animals which he has to deal
with, than it is for a human teacher to take note of the idiosyn-

Gorillas suffering from home-sickness.

crasies of his pupils. Above all things, tact and patience are
necessary in a high degree. I am hoping before long to be
able to exhibit such educational results in my apes as have
never been achieved or even thought possible before.

In order to keep the great apes in sound health, it is ne-
cessary to provide them with plenty of society, either of their
own species or of some other. In the case of all animals in
captivity, it is of the first importance to take measures for
combating the tedium from which they would otherwise suffer.

288 BEASTS AND MEN

But it is more than ever necessary in the case of such highly-
organised animals as anthropoid apes. When they are con-
stantly playing about together, with plenty of stimulus to keep
them always on the move, their digestion is kept in good
order, their appetite maintained, and a high tone preserved
throughout the system. They are especially subject to psy-
chical influences ; and, the more they are kept in contact with
human beings, the more likely are they to thrive and forget
their captivity.

I feel pretty confident that it is mental depression, and
not any physical ailment, which makes it so difficult to keep
gorillas for any length of time in captivity. None of those
which have come to me have ever survived for long their
arrival in Europe. They show every day a gradually dim-
inishing interest in their surroundings, until at last they refuse
food altogether and are found dead one morning- in their cao-e.
It is true that there have been instances now and again of
gorillas being kept for a considerable period in captivity, but
such cases are only exceptions. Perhaps in the course of
time I shall succeed in discovering the proper method of
treating these great apes. At present I have learnt little
of them except the conviction that their trouble is psychical
and not physical. It has hitherto been the almost universal
habit to credit gorillas, and for the matter of that chimpanzees
and orangs too, with much less intensity of feeling than they
actually possess.

Their memories at least are undeniably excellent. After
the two orangs had been in my possession for a period of
twelve months, their former owner came to the park to see
them. They instantly recognised him and showed their
pleasure in the most unmistakable manner. One may ob-
serve in these creatures the origin of the capacity for laughter.
When they are amused the corners of the mouth move out-
wards, showing the teeth between their lips. In Moritz
particularly, the play of the expressions on the countenance
is very noticeable. The keeper can tell at a glance,.

-a
c
u

0)

'9

ANTHROPOID APES 291

from the expression in his eye, what sort of a mood he is
in. His memory, like that of the orang, is excellent. Some
time ago, after I had been travelling for some time and had
just returned, I went to see him in his cage. The moment
I set foot in the ape-house he welcomed me with loud shouts,
and would not be pacified until I had gone into his cage, and
taken him in my arms and fondled him.

In June, 1908, Lieutenant Heinicke of the German army
brought over with him from Kamerun a young gorilla which
was taken round to be introduced to my three anthropoids.
Their meeting was very interesting and unique. The gorilla
displayed only a moderate interest in his three cousins, taking,
in plain words, very little notice of them. They, on the other
hand, were immensely interested and excited. The chim-
panzee gave vent to his feelings in loud yells ; and thrusting
his arms through the bars tried to draw the grorilla towards
him. When he failed in this attempt, he became indignant,
and proceeded to pelt the stranger with sand and stones.
The orangs likewise endeavoured to reach the gorilla through
the bars ; and, when they failed, expressed their emotions,
each according to his kind. Jacob followed the example of
the chimpanzee and began throwing stones ; while Rosa's
excitement brought on a fit of vomiting, so that the whole
scene was indescribably droll. The scene was in other ways
almost unique. For here there were gathered together in
one spot representatives of the three species of animals most
nearly akin to man.

Lieutenant Heinicke, who had brought the young gorilla
to Europe in the society of two negro boys, hoped to be able
to keep this rare animal alive for a long time. Over in
Kamerun he had kept it for more than a year, during which
time it had enjoyed unbroken health and become a general pet
of the station. He hoped to be able to overcome the diffi-
culty of lack of society by providing the two negroes as con-
stant associates for the animal. When the ape first arrived

at my animal park he was much weakened with his long sea

19*

292 BEASTS AND MEN

voyage and took little interest in anything that was going on
round about, but he soon picked up, and after a time would
sit and walk about on the lawn in company with his two play-
fellows, apparently in the best of health and spirits. He had
a strong predilection for the petals of roses, and would consume
large quantities of them. When he had to be taken from one
place to another one of the negroes used to carry him on his
back, presenting a very droll appearance.

Here, then, I must conclude my account of the many
animal friendships that I have formed in the course of my
life. I am continuing to develop my park on the lines already
followed ; and trust that, both in the exhibits of wild beasts
and in those of wild men, I shall ever succeed more com-
pletely in rendering it, not a place of captivity, but a happy
and contented home. With the help of an able staff of
assistants, whose experience now extends over several de-
cades, I hope to make my institution unique in all the world
as a centre for the friendly intercourse of great gatherings of
BEASTS AND MEN.

INDEX.

Abdullahi Kalifat, el Mahdi, 48, 69, 71.
Abdulla Okutt, a hunter, 59, 62.
Abyssinia, a zebia-hunt in, 70.
Acclimatisation of exotic animals, 115, 202-12.
"Agaghir," the, their method of hunting, 51.

Alcohol, predilection of animals for, and its effect on them, 226, 227, 283.
Alexander, Prince, of Oldenburg, 74.
Alligators. See under Crocodiles.

Amsterdam, Zoological Gardens at, referred to, 145, 172, 175, 189.
Animal training, cruel methods of, 30, 1 18-24 \ humane methods of, 31, 32,
37, 124, 125; first stages of, 126-29; further developments of,

Antelopes, acclimatisation of, 208, 209 ; eland — used as draught animals,

93; method of capturing, 94; scarcity of, 212.
Anthropoid apes, high natural capacities of, 277, 282, 288 ; adaptability of,

to education, 286, 287 ; subject to psychical influences, 288. See

also Gorillas.
Antwerp, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 145, 172.
Argali (giant wild sheep), expeditions after, 89 ; proposed experiment in

crossing with domestic animals, 216.
Atbara, camp at, 53, 54 ; departure from, 65, 66.

Baboons —

Arabian, methods of capturing and battle with, 63-65 ; amusing inci-
dents relative to, 67, 68.
Atbara, methods of capturing, 58, 59-61 ; characteristics and habits
of, 61-63.

Baggara- Arabs, the, 70.

Bailey, Mr., successor to Barnum, 11.

Barnum, Phineas T., relations of, with Hagenbeck, 11, 26, 145, 175.

Batty, an animal trainer, 121.

Bears, difficulty of training polar, 136; operation on a sick, 224-26 ; cruelty
to, 227, 228.

Bedford, Herbrand, nth Duke of, suggests expedition in search of Mongolian
wild horses, 74 ; recovery of his sick giraffe, 175; successful in accli-
matisation of exotic animals, 212 ; imports Mongolian pheasants, 219.

Bedouins, their methods of hunting ostriches, 53, 272.

Berg, Christian, 109.

293

294 INDEX

Berlin, Hagenbeck Senior exhibits in, i, 2 ; Exhibition of 1896 in, 234 ; refer-
ence to animals in the Zoological Gardens at, 98, 160, 168, 175, 212.

Bombay, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 194.

Borneo, giant serpents in, 178 ; apes from, 273.

"Bosco," a trained elephant, 157-59.

Brandis, Dr., his experiments in acclimatisation, 211, 212.

Breeding and cross-breeding, matters relating to, 42, 89, no, in, 112-17,
147. 172, i75> 191. 192, 215-19, 263-65, 269, 270.

Breitfuss, Dr., his consignment of walruses, 243.

Bremerhaven, purchase of a menagerie at, 5, n.

Buffalo-cow, cure of a sick, 223, 224.

Bushmen (South African), their method of hunting ostriches, 272.

Calcutta, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 105.

Cape Colony, successful ostrich farms in, 266, 272.

Carnivores, instances of affectionate recollection in, 98-105 ; habitual good

temper of, 106, 109; except at breeding times, no, in; period

of fertility of, 112; acclimatisation of, 115, 209, 210; interbreeding

among, 11 5-1 7; susceptibility of, to kindness, 118, 121, 125 ; feeding

of, 220, 221.
Cassanova, Lorenzo, his contract with Hagenbeck, 8, n, 12, 14, 168;

death of, 13.
Cassowary (two-spotted), 255.
" Castor," a Bengal tiger, no.
Ceylon, elephants exported from, 26, 29.
Chicago, Exhibition of 1893 at, Hagenbeck proposes to exhibit at, 32

his preliminary difficulties, 36 ; " Trieste " at, 102.
Cholera, animals attacked by, 35, 36, 220.
Cingalese Exhibition of 1884, 29.

Cologne, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, loi, 106, in, 145, 163, 175.
Cooper, an animal trainer, adventure of, with lions, 121-23.
Copenhagen, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 224, 225, 244.
Crocodiles, a method of capturing, 57, 58 ; bite of, dangerous, 197 ; ferocity

of American alligator species, 198, 199; feeding of, 199, 200;

growth of, ibid.; Indian species, 201.
Crystal Palace, Hagenbeck exhibits at, 32.

Dagersell, an animal trainer, 123.

Darwin, Charles, and habits of elephants, 147.

Delmonico, a menagerie owner, 139, 140.

Deyerling, an animal trainer, employed by Hagenbeck, 31.

Dinosaur, reputed existence of a, in Rhodesia, 96, 97.

Docton, Mr., experiments of, with snake venom, 194, 195.

Dorcas gazelle, the, 208.

Dresden, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 105.

Druard, Inspector of the Cologne Zoological Gardens, his adventure with a

lion, 109.
Dusseldorf, Zoological Gardens at, reference to. 197.

INDEX 295

Eggenschwyler, Urs, 106.

Eland antelopes. See under Antelopes.

Elephants, hunting of, in the Sudan, 51-53; in Abyssinia, 70; intelli-
gence and individual peculiarities of, 147-53; ^ dangerous indi-
vidual, 154, 155; vitality of a sick, 156, 157; adaptability of, to
training, 159; successful training of African species, 160-62 ; cure
of a sick, 222.

Eskimo, visit of, to Germany, 20, 25 ; description of, 21, 22.

Ewart, James Cossar, his experiments in the crossing of zebras and horses,
219.

Extermination (of wild species), approaching problem of, 212; a project to
avoid, 215.

Falz-Fein, M. (naturalist), his specimens ot the Mongolian wild horse,
74; success of, in acclimatisation, 212; experiments of, in cross-
breeding, 219.

Feathers, ostrich, cutting of, 265, 266.

Florida, ideal site for an animal reserve, 215.

Forepaugh, a menagerie owner and rival of Barnum, 26.

Eraser, Sir Thomas R., interest of, in serpent's venom, 196.

Funk, M., director of Cologne Zoological Gardens, in, 112.

Garner, Professor, his monkey-language, 61.

Gipsies, cruelty of, to bears, 226-28.

Giraffes, difficulty in stabling, 173 ; subject to a peculiar disease, 174, 175 ;
first appearance of, in Europe, 175 ; acclimatisation of, 204 ; refer-
ence to, 212, 216.

Glanders, appearance of, among Hagenbeck's animals, 35.

Gorillas, subject to mental depression, 204, 288.

Grieger, Wilhelm, account of his expedition in search of Mongolian wild
horse, 74-89.

Hagenbeck, Carl, birth and early education ot, 2-5 ; he decides to be an
animal dealer, 7 ; contract of, with Cassanova, and transport of his
collection, 8, 11-14; marriage of, and removal to Neuer Pferde-
markt, 15; origin of his ethnographic exhibitions, 16; the Lapps,
16-20; the Eskimo and others, 20-25; the Cingalese exhibition,
29; his humane method of animal training, 30-32, 37, 121 ; ex-
pansion of his business, 38, 41, 42; purchase and development of
land at Stellingen, 39-45 ; relations of, with pet carnivores, 98-106 ;
incident of the pickled lion, 122, 123 ; on study of the individual
animal, 125; and careful selection of performers, 126; details of
his method of training, 126-34 ; first experiences of, in training, 139,
140 ; experiments of, in association of naturally hostile animals, 143,
144; adventure of, with cow-elephant, 148-51; and with bull-
elephant, 151-53; "Bosco," 158, 159; adventure of, with a rhino-
ceros, 165-67; and with a hippopotamus, 171, 172; experiences of.

296 INDEX

with snakes, 177-90; breeding of snakes and experiments with
their poisons, 191-97; adventure of, with alligators, 197, 198;
methods of, with alligators, 199, 200 ; his experiments in acclimatisa-
tion, 202-11; and in breeding and cross-breeding, 215, 216, 219
{see also under Breeding) ; on care of newly arrived animals, 220 ;
on feeding, 221 ; his animal cures, 222, 223 ; operation on a polar
bear, 224-26 ; he tests the jumping powers of carnivores, 234, 235 ;
develops his ostrich farm, 255-66; interest of, in anthropoid apes
273; his monkey friends, 273-85; ideas of, on education of apes
286, 287.

Hagenbeck, Gustav, 2.

Hagenbeck, Heinrich (the son), struggle of, with pythons, 181, 182.

Hagenbeck, Herr (father of Carl), exhibits six seals, i ; ideas of, on educa-
tion, 2, 3 ; purchases the Bremerhaven menagerie, 5 ; passes over
the animal business to Carl, 7 ; adventure of, with a sea-lion, 145,
146.

Hagenbeck, John (of Colombo), 2, 106.

Hagenbeck, Wilhelm, his success as a trainer, 136.

Hamburg, cholera in, 36 ; Zoological Gardens at, reference to, loi, 103, 175.

Hamran hunters, the, brought to Europe, 29; reduced in numbers, 71.

Hanover, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 171.

Hansen, Captain, his account of the habits and capture of walruses, 244,
248, 249.

Hawati, the, their methods of hunting, 57, 58; extinction of, 71.

Heck, Professor (of Berlin Zoological Gardens), experiments of, in animal
environment, 212.

Heinicke, Lieutenant, 291.

Herbivores, the great, 147 et sqq. See under separate headings.

Hippopotami, a method of capturing, 57, 58; trapping, 72, 73 ; facts and
stories relating to, 170-73 ; dwarf, ibid.

Hornaday, Dr., director of the Bronx Park Zoological Gardens at New
York, 1 01.

Horses, Mongolian wild, expedition in search of, 74 et sqq,; method of
capturing, 86 ; difficulty of transporting, 87-89.

Hottentots, 25.

Indians, 25.

"Jacob," an orang-outang, 273-77, 279, 282-84, 291.

Jacobsen, Adrian, 20.

Jamrach, William, 165.

Jealousy among carnivores, no, in.

Johannsen, a traveller, and the eland antelopes, 93-95 ; cited on Indian

gavials, 201.
Judge, Charlie, 145.
Judge, Willie, 145.

Kallenberg, an animal trainer, 123.
Kalmucks, 25.

INDEX 297

Kaufmann, an animal trainer, 123.

" Kayaks," description of, 21, 22.

Kipling, Rudyard, on snakes, 177.

Kobdo (in Mongolia), expedition to, 74; insect pests in, 77; description

of, 78. 79> 83, 84.
Kreutzberg, Gottlieb, 8, 123, 175, 183.

Kreutzberg, Karl, introduces novelties in animal performance, 123, 124.
Kuhn, Professor (of Halle), 216.

Lapps, the, visit of, to Germany, 16, 25 ; description of, 19, 20.
"Leo," a lion, no.

Leutemann, Heinrich, suggests the ethnographic exhibitions, 16; his water-
colour of a tiger, 1 01.
Lions. See Carnivores.

"Lissy," a cow-elephant, adventure of Hagenbeck with, 148-51.
London, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 117, 168, 169, 172, 175, 200.
Liineburger Heath, racoon escapes on, 5, 6.

Malferteiner, a menagerie owner, 226.

Manders, a menagerie owner, 112.

Martin, an animal trainer, 123.

"Max," a rhinoceros, 241.

Mehrmann, Heinrich, an animal trainer, 32, 36, no; accident of, with a
bear, 135.

Menges, Joseph, conducts animal trade in Ceylon, 26; biographical notice
of, 29 ; quoted on the Egyptian Sudan, 47 ; and on elephant hunt-
ing, 51, 52 ; on the Atbara baboon, 62 ; his method of hatching
ostriches' eggs in the Sudan, 270.

Migoletti, a traveller, n, 13, 14.

Millen, Mr., engaged by Hagenbeck for his ostrich farm, 256.

Mithridates, legends of, 196.

Moeller, Dr. (of Australia), 196.

Mongolia, the quest after wild horse in, 74 ; climate of, 77 ; manners and
customs of the natives in, 80-85 j method of hunting wild horse in,
86, 87.

"Moritz," a chimpanzee, 273; character and escapades of, 277-85; his
apparent capacity for laughter, 288 ; memory of, 291 , his greeting
of the gorilla, 291.

Myers, Mr., American circus owner, 121; dealings of, with Hagenbeck,
122, 123.

Nansen, Fridtjof, 21.

Natterer, Dr. (African explorer), 7.

Neuer Pferdemarkt, removal of the Hagenbecks to, 15 ; Lapps in, 16-19;
animal duel in, no; pseudo-elephant hunt in, 154, 155; " Bosco "
^■t, 157-59; exploits of an Indian python at, 189; experiments in
acclimatisation in, 202-04.

New York, Bronx Park Zoological Gardens in, reference to, loi, 102,

298 INDEX

Nizza, ostrich farm at, 256.
Nubians, 20, 25, 48, 160, 161.

Okapi, discovery of the, 96.

Ostriches, accUmatisation of, 45, 204, 207, 208; rearing and treatment of,

255-66; breeding of, 263, 264; cutting the feathers, 265, 266;

South America a likely country for rearing, 266 ; introduction of,

into Nepal, 269; native methods of hatching eggs, 270; methods

of hunting, 271, 272.
Ounces, breeding of, in captivity, 112-15.

Paris, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 145, 175, 192.

Patagonians, 25.

Peters, Dr. Carl, and the eland antelopes, 92, 93.

Peters, Professor (of the Berlin Zoological Gardens), 98.

Pheasants, Mongolian, importation of, 219.

Philipp, a keeper, 151. '•

Preuscher, an animal trainer, 123.

Racoon, escape of a, 5, 6.

Radmai, Dr. (eminent Buddhist Lama), 74, 77.

Rats, destructiveness of, 163 ; and snakes, 185.

Rhinoceroses, facts and stories relative to, 164-70; different species of,

167, 168.
Rhodesia, wild game in, 93 ; reputed dinosaur in, 96, 97.
" Rosa," an orang-outang, 273-77, 280, 282-84, 291.
Rothschild, Walter, successful in acclimatisation, 212 ; imports Mongolian

pheasants, 219.

St. Louis, Exhibition of 1904 in, Hagenbeck exhibits at, 37, 181, 234 ;
"Trieste " at, 102.

St. Petersburg, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 172.

Schilling, Fritz, animal trainer, 37.

Schiott, Director (of Copenhagen Zoological Gardens), experiments of, in
acclimatisation, 212.

Schmidt, animal trainer, 123.

Schdnbrunn, Imperial Zoological Gardens at, 168.

Sea-bear, a, 236.

Sea-lions, Californian, intelligence of, 145, 146.

Seals, methods of capturing, 91, 92 ; difficulties of transporting, 92 ; adapta-
bility of, to training, 144, 145.

Self-mutilation, instances of, in animals, 228, 229.

Siberia, difficulty of transporting animals from, 89.

Sloth, giant, discovery of, 96.

Snake-charmers, 91, 193, 194.

Snakes, methods of capturing, 89-91 ; relations of, with other animals, 177,
178; extraordinary voracity of, 179-81; savagery of certain species,
181, 182 ; frozen boa-constrictors, 182, 183 ; puff-adders, 184, 185 ;
rattle-snakes and rats, 185 ; quarrels of, over food, 185, 186 ; extra-

INDEX 299

ordinary digestive power of, 186-89; ^.nd capacity of, for fasting,
189, 190; breeding of, 191, 192 ; low intelligence of, 192, 193 ; ex-
traction of poison from, 194; experiments in inoculation with their
venom, 195, 196.

Somaliland, method of hunting ostriches in, 271, 272.

Somalis, 25.

Spielbudenplatz, earliest Hagenbeck menagerie in, i, 2; extension of
premises in, 8; removal from, 15; ravages of rats in, 163; boa-
constrictors escape in, 183.

Stellingen Zoological Park, origin of, i ; trained troupes in, 37; pur-
chase and development of, 38, 39-45 ; ostrich farm at, 45, 255-
66; pet carnivores in, 102-6; experiments in acclimatisation in,
115, 202-11 ; and in natural environment, 211; breeding and cross-
breeding in, 215, 216; description of, 230 et sqq. ; animal amuse-
ments in, 236-41 ; loves and friendships in, 241, 242 ; walruses in,
242-44, 250, 251 ; statistics of population in and commissariat of,
251-53 ; improvements in process of being made in, 253, 254.

Stuttgart, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 117.

Sudan, the Egyptian, rich in animal life, 7, 8, 47, 48 ; closed to Europeans,
25, 48, 176; hunters and hunted in, 48-53; destruction of game
in, during and after the war, 69, 70; reduction and extinction of
native tribes in, 71.

Taka, swordsmen of, 51, 57, 70.

Takruris, the, their methods of hunting, 57.

Tigers. See Carnivores.

Transport of wild animals, difficulties of, in the Sudan, 65-67 ; from Siberia,

87-89.
Trieste, disembarkation of animals at, 13, 14.
"Trieste," a Somali lion, history of, 102, 103.
" Tsamba," composition of, 80.

Ukubak, an Eskimo, visit of, to Germany, 21-25.

Vienna, Zoological Gardens at, reference to, 175.
Virchow, Professor, and the African elephants, 160-62.

Walruses, pugnacity of, 242 ; feeding of, 243, 244; method of capturing,
244-48; habits of, 248, 249; treatment of newly arrived, 250, 251.

Ward, Rowland, 154.

Westermann, Dr., director of Amsterdam Zoological Gardens, his account
of a fasting snake, 189, 190.

William I., German Emperor, 25, 45.

Woodward, an American animal trainer, his trained seals and sea-lions, 144,

145-

Zebras, hunting of, 70; different species and qualities of, 71.

Zebroids, 219.

Zebus, Indian, imported for crossing purposes, 216.

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